active and passive
Agent versus patient
Active and passive describe opposing relationships to action.
The active participant initiates or performs; the passive one receives or undergoes.
She took an active role in the project versus He remained passive throughout the meeting.
In grammar, active voice has the subject performing the action (The dog bit the man); passive voice has the subject receiving it (The man was bitten).
Active implies engagement and energy; passive suggests acceptance or inaction, sometimes with negative connotations of weakness or disengagement.
- dynamicActive and changing
- staticWithout motion or change
- engagedPledged to marry
- idleWithout activity or purpose
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
motion · stillness · energetic · inert · proactive · dormant · vigorous · rest · movement · alert · sluggish · participating · observing · sit back · couch potato · doing · receiving · initiative