the state or quality of being passive; esp., inaction, inertia, submissiveness, etc.
Word origin
LL passivitas
passivity in American English
(pæˈsɪvɪti)
noun
1. Also: passiveness (ˈpæsɪvnɪs)
the state or condition of being passive
2.
chemical inactivity, esp. the resistance to corrosion of certain metals when covered with a coherent oxide layer
Word origin
[1650–60; passive + -ity]This word is first recorded in the period 1650–60. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: agency, burlesque, gas, romantic, syllabus-ity is a suffix used to form abstract nouns expressing state or condition. Other wordsthat use the affix -ity include: Latinity, civility, jollity
Examples of 'passivity' in a sentence
passivity
The passivity of peers derives not from statute but from convention.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Cissé is a curious blend of power and passivity.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Almost invariably, involvement, rather than passivity, comes at a cost to those individuals.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
It also creates political passivity and a loss of hope for a fairer world.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But it's her passivity in the latest incident that jars.
The Sun (2013)
Her passivity is seen as the core problem.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
What is difficult is the crushing passivity of it all.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But such passivity in the face of daily aggravation has to surface somewhere.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He brings home, chillingly, the menacing passivity of algorithms.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
The consequences of that passivity and ignorance were soon clear.