Passive
Passive adjective - Receiving or enduring without offering resistance.
Usage example: the union rank and file were surprisingly passive about the givebacks in the new labor contract
Submissive is a synonym for passive in prostrate topic. In some cases you can use "Submissive" instead an adjective "Passive", when it comes to topics like deferential, docile, compliant, patient. popular alternative
Submissive
Submissive adjective - Readily giving in to the command or authority of another.
Passive is a synonym for submissive in compliant topic. You can use "Passive" instead an adjective "Submissive", if it concerns topics such as prostrate, deferential, docile, patient. popular alternative
Nearby Words: submission, submissively
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
-
Outwardly submissive and passive, Eve fell for the persuasive talk of another male, the serpent.
Source: Development Hell - Their marriage is built more on rebelling against their parents and cultural norms and Rose grows to realize that Ted relies on her passive and submissive nature to blame her for his emotional insecurities.
Source: Destructive Romance -
Hattersley complains that his wife is too passive and goes along with whatever he wants — to which Helen points out that a docile, submissive wife is exactly what he said he wanted.
Cite this Source
Submissive and Passive. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/passive/submissive
Passive & Submissive. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/passive/submissive>.
Submissive or Passive. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/passive/submissive.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "passive" and "submissive" have occurred on timeline