1
as in acquiescence
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2
as in inertia
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of passivity
Cross and Broderick here offer studies in otiose passivity.
—
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
By changing the dynamic of Grainier and Fu Sheng’s relationship, urging us to care about them both, and dropping Grainier’s malcontent bent, Bentley shifts the focus of the story so that its central themes are now about the corrosive impact of passivity and inertia.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Society has conditioned us to imagine active resistance is the most common response to terror but my book focuses on freezing and passivity as an underappreciated creative survival strategy.
—Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025
Think movement rather than stagnation, discussion rather than passivity.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passivity
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
By changing the dynamic of Grainier and Fu Sheng’s relationship, urging us to care about them both, and dropping Grainier’s malcontent bent, Bentley shifts the focus of the story so that its central themes are now about the corrosive impact of passivity and inertia.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Society has conditioned us to imagine active resistance is the most common response to terror but my book focuses on freezing and passivity as an underappreciated creative survival strategy.
—Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025
Think movement rather than stagnation, discussion rather than passivity.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passivity
Noun
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And acquiescence can be contagious.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2026
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Even if clemency led the White House to dial back the ongoing efforts to punish Colorado, acquiescence today only invites future harassment.—
Max Potter,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Over that first act, however, the film also resists much narrative or thematic momentum, unfolding in glimpses and vignettes meant to underscore inertia and to emphasize production design.—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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By inertia, some vestiges remain of the awful weeks in 2022 when enemy forces stood at the edge of Kyiv.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
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In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Analysts say the turnout strongly suggests voter apathy, while polling data showed frustrations over crime and the higher cost of living.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Many of the musicians and audience members belonged to a generation that’s often stereotyped as languishing in apathy and isolation—but whose indignation about the suffering in Gaza has far outpaced that of other generations.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Even so, these controversies have demonstrated that what artists say about this issue is not treated with the deference that creative expression is traditionally afforded in democracies.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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Traditionally judges have reviewed agency moves with deference.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those closest to him will remember not only his talent, but his warmth, humility, faith, and deep love for his family and friends.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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Embarrassment could have been a factor in the rash decision, but Trump is not a man who appears to be afflicted by that particular emotion, which takes its cue from a certain amount of self-awareness and humility.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Last year, many were convinced American politics would be destabilized by videos manipulated by artificial intelligence, or lulled into a post-truth stupor by AI slop.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Spotlight The Welcome Demise of Climate Change Catastrophism Is the American Left finally waking up from its decades-long climate catastrophism stupor?—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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May the Spirit of God, who is truth and strength, and instils meekness and courage, sustain you.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
9 Oct. 2025
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Most Canadians want uncomplicated lives, a desire for calm that can be misinterpreted by louder people as meekness.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Passivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passivity. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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