World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesPassive bystander
/ˈpæs.ɪv ˈbaɪˌstæn.dɚ/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part, interact, or attempt to stop or influence it.
"During the altercation in the hallway, several passive bystanders watched without calling for security." - 2
An observer in a workplace or social setting who fails to speak out against bullying, discrimination, or unethical behavior, thereby implicitly condoning it.
"Corporate training programs now emphasize converting passive bystanders into active allies."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
The term combines 'passive', originating from the Late Latin passivus (capable of suffering or receiving action), and 'bystander', formed in the 16th century from 'by' and 'stander'. While individual components are centuries old, the compound phrase gained prominent sociological and psychological usage in the late 20th century, particularly in relation to studies on the bystander effect and social intervention ethics.
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10 Global Lexicons: How "Passive bystander" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
témoin passif
Transliteration: tem-wɛn pa-sif
"Il est resté un simple témoin passif lors de l'incident."
passiver Zuschauer
Transliteration: pas-ˈsi-vɐ ˈtsʊ-ˌʃaʊ-ɐ
"Als passiver Zuschauer hat er nicht eingegriffen."
spettatore passivo
Transliteration: spettaˈtore pasˈsivo
"Non bisogna rimanere semplici spettatori passivi di fronte all'ingiustizia."
observador pasivo
Transliteration: obserβaˈðor paˈsivo
"El acoso escolar empeora cuando los estudiantes actúan como observadores pasivos."
espectador passivo
Transliteration: espektaˈdoʁ paˈsivu
"O espectador passivo muitas vezes sente medo de se envolver."
मूकदर्शक
Transliteration: mookdarshak
"घटना के समय वह केवल एक मूकदर्शक बनकर खड़ा रहा।"
旁观者
Transliteration: páng guān zhě
"我们不能在校园霸凌中做冷漠的旁观者。"
방관자
Transliteration: banggwanja
"사건 현장에 있던 방관자들은 아무도 경찰에 신고하지 않았다."
傍観者
Transliteration: bōkansha
"いじめの現場で傍観者でいることは同罪に等しい。"
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