passive-aggressive

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

passive-aggressive behavior

Wikipedia

Etymology

From 1940s,^[1][2] after passive aggression.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛsɪv

Adjective

passive-aggressive (comparative more passive-aggressive, superlative most passive-aggressive)

1. (psychology) Showing passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to following authoritative instructions in interpersonal or occupational situations.
2. Showing covert hostility, intending to cause annoyance or to humiliate, while maintaining a transparent (to the recipient) veneer of politeness.
   • 2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎:

     “I Love Lisa” opens with one of my favorite underappreciated running jokes from The Simpsons: the passive-aggressive, quietly contentious relationship of radio jocks Bill and Marty, whose mindless happy talk regularly gives way to charged exchanges that betray the simmering resentment and disappointment perpetually lingering just under the surface of their relationship.

   • 2015 February 19, Dean Burnett, “OK, don't read this article about passive-aggressive behaviour. Honestly, it's fine”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Curt texts, unanswered emails, Facebook statuses declaring “someone” to be an idiot, the notorious subtweet; if you can communicate with it, people can be passive aggressive with it. No doubt there were frosty telegrams in centuries gone by.

Coordinate terms

• passive-dependent

Derived terms

• paggro
• pass-agg
• passive-aggression
• passive-aggressively
• passive-aggressiveness
• passive-aggressive personality disorder
• passive-aggressivist
• passive aggressor

 

Translations

obstructionism via taking no action

Danish: passiv-agressiv Finnish: passiivis-aggressiivinen French: passif-agressif (fr) German: passiv-aggressiv (de) Greek: παθητικοεπιθετικός (el) (pathitikoepithetikós) Italian: passivo-aggressivo Russian: пасси́вно-агресси́вный (ru) (passívno-agressívnyj) Slovak: pasívne agresívny Spanish: pasivo-agresivo Swedish: passivt aggressiv, passivaggressiv Turkish: pasif-agresif, pasif agresif

See also

• passive resistance

References

1. “passive-aggressive, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. "Origin 1940s after passive aggression."
2. “passive-aggressive”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. "First Known Use of passive-aggressive 1945, in the meaning defined above"

Further reading

• “passive-aggressive”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “passive-aggressive”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “passive-aggressive” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2025.