passive-aggression

silent treatment

Refusing to speak

• stonewallingDeliberately refusing to respond
• sulkingSilent, resentful withdrawal
• procrastinationHabitual task avoidance

backhanded compliments · eye-rolling · sighing · sarcasm · withholding · noncompliance · feigned ignorance · cold shoulder · dismissiveness · tardiness

undermining

Weakening by covert means

• gaslightingManipulation causing self-doubt
• guilt-trippingInducing remorse deliberately
• sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations

scheming · subterfuge · triangulation · blame-shifting · emotional blackmail · power plays · mind games · plausible deniability · baiting · provoking

resentment

Persistent bitter displeasure

• bitternessSharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
• hostilityAntagonistic disposition toward others
• grudgePersistent resentment toward someone

spite · animosity · anger · irritation · discontent · displeasure · frustration · ill will · sullenness · envy

tension

Stretched or strained state

• frictionResistance between touching surfaces
• discordLack of agreement
• dysfunctionAbnormal or unhealthy operation

power struggle · standoff · impasse · cold war · unresolved issues · walking on eggshells · undercurrent · emotional distance · avoidance · withdrawal

innuendo

Oblique disparaging remark

• snide remarksDisparaging comments, thinly veiled
• ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
• mixed messagesInconsistent, contradictory communication

coded language · insinuation · doublespeak · non-answers · evasiveness · whatever · if you say so · no offense but · I guess · hints

• conflict responsesavoidance, confrontation, compromise, accommodation, withdrawal
• mockerymockery, ridiculing, jeers, jeering, jibes
• bad bloodanimosity, hostility, enmity, resentment, grudge
• gripingcomplaining, grumbling, griping, grousing, kvetching
• defense mechanismsdenial, projection, repression, suppression, displacement
• emotional volatilitymood swings, lability, volatility, dysregulation, ups and downs