To be passive means to accept or allow what happens without responding, resisting, or taking action. A passive person lets things happen to them instead of making things happen themselves.

In everyday life, passive behavior shows up in many ways. A passive student might sit quietly while classmates choose all the fun roles in a group project, even though they wanted one of those roles too. They don't speak up or advocate for themselves. A passive audience watches a performance without reacting much, not applauding enthusiastically or laughing out loud at the funny parts.

Being passive is the opposite of being active or assertive. An active student raises their hand and volunteers for opportunities. A passive one waits to be called on, hoping someone else will take the lead. When you're passive, you're more like a leaf floating down a stream, going wherever the current takes you, rather than a swimmer choosing their own direction.

Sometimes passive behavior makes sense: you might stay passive during a boring lecture, just listening without interrupting. But being too passive can mean missing opportunities or letting others make all your decisions. The word can also describe things that receive action rather than perform it. In grammar, a passive voice sentence like “the ball was thrown” focuses on what received the action (the ball) rather than who did the throwing.

Passivity is the noun form, describing the quality or state of being passive.