World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesPassive
/ˈpæs.ɪv/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
Not active; receiving an action rather than taking it.
"In a passive voice sentence, the subject is acted upon by the verb."
- 1
A grammatical construction in which the subject receives the action of the verb.
"The sentence 'The ball was thrown by John' is an example of the passive."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
The word 'passive' originates from the Latin 'passivus', meaning 'capable of suffering or enduring', which in turn comes from 'pati', meaning 'to suffer'. The term evolved through Middle English, retaining its core meaning related to being acted upon rather than acting.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Passive"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Passive" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
passif
Transliteration: pɑ.sif
"Dans une phrase passive, le sujet est affecté par le verbe."
passiv
Transliteration: ˈpasɪv
"In einem passiven Satz wird das Subjekt vom Verb betroffen."
passivo
Transliteration: pasˈsivo
"In una frase passiva, il soggetto subisce l'azione del verbo."
pasivo
Transliteration: paˈsivo
"En una oración pasiva, el sujeto es afectado por el verbo."
passivo
Transliteration: paˈsivu
"Em uma frase passiva, o sujeito é afetado pelo verbo."
निष्क्रिय
Transliteration: nishkriya
"एक निष्क्रिय वाक्य में, विषय क्रिया द्वारा प्रभावित होता है।"
被动
Transliteration: bèidòng
"在被动句中，主语受到动词的影响。"
수동
Transliteration: sudong
"수동 문장에서 주어는 동사의 영향을 받습니다."
受動
Transliteration: じゅどう
"受動文では、主語が動詞の影響を受けます。"
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