Negative vs. Passive: What's the Difference?
By Aimie Carlson & Janet White || Updated on May 29, 2024
Negative implies an attitude or outlook that is pessimistic or critical, while passive indicates a lack of active participation or response.
Key Differences
Negative refers to a tendency to focus on the downsides, faults, or unfavorable aspects of a situation. It often involves pessimism, criticism, or disapproval. On the other hand, passive describes a state of inactivity or lack of response. A passive individual does not take initiative or assert themselves, often allowing things to happen without interference.
While negativity actively contributes to a pessimistic atmosphere, passivity represents a more inert approach, characterized by non-engagement and minimal response. Negative behavior can be vocal and disruptive, whereas passive behavior tends to be silent and unobtrusive.
Negativity often has a stronger emotional impact on others, as it can spread dissatisfaction and conflict. Passivity, however, can lead to missed opportunities and unaddressed issues due to the lack of proactive involvement. Both traits can be problematic, but they affect situations and relationships in different ways.
Negative individuals might resist change or reject new ideas, fostering a climate of discouragement. Passive individuals, meanwhile, might agree with others to avoid confrontation, leading to a lack of progress or innovation. Addressing negativity often involves fostering a more positive outlook, while encouraging passivity to become more active requires promoting confidence and assertiveness.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Pessimistic, critical attitude
Lack of active participation
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Behavior
Focuses on faults and downsides
Inactive, non-assertive
Impact on Others
Can spread dissatisfaction
Often unnoticed, leads to inaction
Emotional Expression
Vocal and potentially disruptive
Silent and unobtrusive
Response to Change
Resists or criticizes change
Avoids engagement or confrontation
Negative and Passive Definitions
Negative
Pessimistic or critical in outlook.
He always has a negative comment about every new idea.
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Passive
Accepting or allowing without resistance.
She took a passive role in the project, letting others lead.
Negative
Focused on unfavorable aspects.
Her negative attitude made the meeting uncomfortable.
Passive
Receiving or subjected to an action without responding or initiating an action in return
The mind viewed as a passive receptacle for sensory experience.
Negative
Having a detrimental effect.
The negative feedback affected her confidence.
Passive
Accepting or submitting without objection or resistance; submissive
A passive acceptance of one's fate.
Negative
Expressing, containing, or consisting of a negation, refusal, or denial
Gave a negative answer to our request.
Passive
Existing, conducted, or experienced without active or concerted effort
“Although tick paralysis is a reportable disease in Washington, surveillance is passive, and only 10 cases were reported during 1987–1995” (US Department of Health and Human Services). “[Many parents believe] that computers are educational and, at the least, less passive than television” (Laurie Hays).
Negative
Indicating opposition or resistance
A negative reaction to the new advertising campaign.
Passive
Of, relating to, or being certain bonds or shares that do not bear financial interest.
Negative
Unpleasant; disagreeable
Had a negative experience on his first job.
Passive
Of, relating to, or being a solar heating or cooling system that uses no external mechanical power.
Negative
Gloomy; pessimistic
A negative outlook.
Passive
(Grammar) Of, relating to, or being a verb form or voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject is the object of the action or the effect of the verb. For example, in the sentence They were impressed by his manner, were impressed is in the passive voice.
Negative
Unfavorable or detrimental
A negative review.
A negative effect on the child's development.
Passive
(Chemistry) Unreactive except under special or extreme conditions; inert.
Negative
Hostile or disparaging; malicious
Ran a negative campaign against her opponent.
Passive
(Electronics) Exhibiting no gain or contributing no energy
A passive circuit element.
Negative
(Medicine) Not indicating the presence of a particular disease, condition, or organism.
Passive
The passive voice.
Negative
(Philosophy) Of or relating to non-being or the absence of qualities rather than being or the possession of qualities
The purely negative virtue of unselfishness.
Passive
A verb or construction in the passive voice.
Negative
(Logic) Designating a proposition that denies agreement between a subject and its predicate.
Passive
Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction.
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity less than zero.
Passive
Taking no action.
He remained passive during the protest.
Negative
Of or relating to the sign (−).
Passive
(grammar) Being in the passive voice.
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity to be subtracted from another.
Passive
(psychology) Being inactive and submissive in a relationship, especially in a sexual one.
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity, number, angle, velocity, or direction in a sense opposite to another of the same magnitude indicated or understood to be positive.
Passive
(finance) Not participating in management.
Negative
Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (−).
Passive
(aviation) Without motive power.
A passive balloon; a passive aeroplane; passive flight, such as gliding and soaring
Negative
Of or relating to a body that has more electrons than protons.
Passive
(electronics) Of a component: that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
Negative
(Chemistry) Of or relating to an ion, the anion, that is attracted to a positive electrode.
Passive
Where allowance is made for a possible future event.
Negative
(Biology) Moving or turning away from a stimulus, such as light
A negative tropism.
Passive
(grammar) The passive voice of verbs.
Negative
A statement or act indicating or expressing a contradiction, denial, or refusal.
Passive
(grammar) A form of a verb that is in the passive voice.
Negative
A statement or act that is highly critical of another or of others
Campaign advertising that was based solely on negatives.
Passive
(marketing) A customer who is satisfied with a product or service, but not keen enough to promote it by word of mouth.
Negative
Something that lacks all positive, affirmative, or encouraging features; an element that is the counterpoint of the positive
“Life is full of overwhelming odds. You can't really eliminate the negatives but you can diminish them” (Art Linkletter).
Passive
(electronics) Any component that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
Negative
A feature or characteristic that is not deemed positive, affirmative, or desirable
“As voters get to know his liberal views, his negatives will rise” (Richard M. Nixon).
Passive
Not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving impressions or influences; as, they were passive spectators, not actors in the scene.
The passive airUpbore their nimble tread.
The mind is wholly passive in the reception of all its simple ideas.
Negative
(Grammar) A word or part of a word, such as no, not, or non-, that indicates negation. See Usage Note at double negative.
Passive
Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient; not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive submission.
The best virtue, passive fortitude.
Negative
The side in a debate that contradicts or opposes the question being debated.
Passive
Inactive; inert; unreactive; not showing strong affinity; as, red phosphorus is comparatively passive.
Negative
An image in which the light areas of the object rendered appear dark and the dark areas appear light. In a color negative, hues are also reversed so that each color is represented by its complementary color.
Passive
Designating certain morbid conditions, as hemorrhage or dropsy, characterized by relaxation of the vessels and tissues, with deficient vitality and lack of reaction in the affected tissues.
Negative
A film, plate, or other photographic material containing such an image.
Passive
The voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb;
`The ball was thrown by the boy' uses the passive voice
`The ball was thrown' is an abbreviated passive
Negative
(Mathematics) A negative quantity.
Passive
Lacking in energy or will;
Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself
Negative
To refuse to approve; veto.
Passive
Peacefully resistant in response to injustice;
Passive resistance
Negative
To deny; contradict.
Passive
Expressing thatthe subject of the sentence is the patient of the action denoted by the verb;
Academics seem to favor passive sentences
Negative
To demonstrate to be false; disprove.
Passive
Not actively participating or responding.
He remained passive during the debate, not sharing his views.
Negative
To counteract or neutralize.
Passive
Exhibiting a lack of initiative.
His passive behavior meant he rarely took on new challenges.
Negative
Not positive nor neutral.
Passive
Inactive or inert in behavior.
The passive audience barely reacted to the performance.
Negative
(physics) Of electrical charge of an electron and related particles
Passive
Submissive or yielding.
She was passive in disagreements, preferring to avoid conflict.
Negative
(mathematics) Of a number: less than zero
Negative
(weather) Less than zero degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Negative
Denying a proposition.
Negative
Damaging; undesirable; unfavourable.
The high exchange rate will have a negative effect on our profits.
Customers didn’t like it: feedback was mostly negative.
Negative
Pessimistic; not tending to see the bright side of things.
I don’t like to hang around him very much because he can be so negative about his petty problems.
Negative
Of or relating to a photographic image in which the colours of the original, and the relations of left and right, are reversed.
Negative
(chemistry) Metalloidal, nonmetallic; contrasted with positive or basic.
The nitro group is negative.
Negative
Often preceded by emotion, energy, feeling, or thought: to be avoided, bad, difficult, disagreeable, painful, potentially damaging, unpleasant, unwanted.
Negative
Characterized by the presence of features which do not support a hypothesis.
Negative
(slang) HIV negative.
Negative
(slang) COVID-19 negative.
Negative
Refusal or withholding of assents; prohibition, veto
Negative
An unfavorable point or characteristic.
Negative
(law) A right of veto.
Negative
(photography) An image in which dark areas represent light ones, and the converse.
Negative
(grammar) A word that indicates negation.
Negative
(mathematics) A negative quantity.
Negative
(weightlifting) A repetition performed with a weight in which the muscle begins at maximum contraction and is slowly extended; a movement performed using only the eccentric phase of muscle movement.
Negative
The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
Negative
(transitive) To refuse; to veto.
Negative
(transitive) To contradict.
Negative
(transitive) To disprove.
Negative
(transitive) To make ineffective; to neutralize, to negate.
Negative
No; nay.
Negative
Denying; implying, containing, or asserting denial, negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a negative opinion; - opposed to affirmative.
If thou wilt confess,Or else be impudently negative.
Denying me any power of a negative voice.
Something between an affirmative bow and a negative shake.
Negative
Not positive; without affirmative statement or demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of something; privative; as, a negative argument; negative evidence; a negative morality; negative criticism.
There in another way of denying Christ, . . . which is negative, when we do not acknowledge and confess him.
Negative
Asserting absence of connection between a subject and a predicate; as, a negative proposition.
Negative
Of or pertaining to a picture upon glass or other material, in which the lights and shades of the original, and the relations of right and left, are reversed.
Negative
Metalloidal; nonmetallic; - contrasted with positive or basic; as, the nitro group is negative.
Negative
A proposition by which something is denied or forbidden; a conception or term formed by prefixing the negative particle to one which is positive; an opposite or contradictory term or conception.
This is a known rule in divinity, that there is no command that runs in negatives but couches under it a positive duty.
Negative
A word used in denial or refusal; as, not, no.
No wine ne drank she, neither white nor red.
These eyes that never did nor never shallSo much as frown on you.
Negative
The refusal or withholding of assents; veto.
If a kind without his kingdom be, in a civil sense, nothing, then . . . his negative is as good as nothing.
Negative
That side of a question which denies or refuses, or which is taken by an opposing or denying party; the relation or position of denial or opposition; as, the question was decided in the negative.
Negative
A picture upon glass or other material, in which the light portions of the original are represented in some opaque material (usually reduced silver), and the dark portions by the uncovered and transparent or semitransparent ground of the picture.
Negative
The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
Negative
To prove unreal or untrue; to disprove.
The omission or infrequency of such recitals does not negative the existence of miracles.
Negative
To reject by vote; to refuse to enact or sanction; as, the Senate negatived the bill.
Negative
To neutralize the force of; to counteract.
Negative
A reply of denial;
He answered in the negative
Negative
A piece of photographic film showing an image with black and white tones reversed
Negative
Vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent;
The President vetoed the bill
Negative
Characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features;
A negative outlook on life
A colorless negative personality
A negative evaluation
A negative reaction to an advertising campaign
A positive attitude
The reviews were all positive
A positive benefit
A positive demand
Negative
Reckoned in a direction opposite to that regarded as positive
Negative
Having a negative electric charge;
Electrons are negative
Protons are positive
Negative
Expressing or consisting of a negation or refusal or denial
Negative
Having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant;
Ran a negative campaign
Delinquents retarded by their negative outlook on life
Negative
Not indicating the presence of microorganisms or disease or a specific condition;
The HIV test was negative
Negative
Less than zero;
A negative number
Negative
Designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions;
Negative criticism
Negative
Involving disadvantage or harm;
Minus (or negative) factors
Negative
Expressing disapproval or opposition.
The negative reviews hurt the restaurant’s business.
Negative
Characterized by a lack of optimism.
His negative thinking prevented him from seeing the possibilities.
FAQs
Can passivity be a positive trait?
In some contexts, being passive can avoid conflicts and maintain harmony, but it generally leads to missed opportunities and unaddressed issues.
How can someone overcome negativity?
By focusing on positive aspects, practicing gratitude, and adopting a more optimistic outlook.
How can someone become less passive?
By building confidence, learning assertiveness skills, and actively participating in decisions and actions.
Does being passive mean someone is indifferent?
Not necessarily; passivity can result from fear of conflict or lack of confidence, not just indifference.
What is the main difference between negative and passive?
Negative implies a critical or pessimistic attitude, while passive indicates a lack of active participation or response.
Are negative people always unhappy?
Not always, but chronic negativity can affect overall happiness and relationships.
Is negativity more harmful than passivity?
Negativity can be more immediately disruptive, while passivity can lead to long-term stagnation and unaddressed problems.
Can passivity be mistaken for agreement?
Yes, passive individuals might be assumed to agree because they do not express opposition.
Can a person be both negative and passive?
Yes, a person can exhibit both traits, being critical while also avoiding active involvement.
Is negativity always vocal?
Negativity is often vocal but can also be expressed through body language and actions.
Can negative behavior be constructive?
Constructive criticism can be positive, but general negativity usually hinders progress.
Do passive people avoid responsibility?
Often, yes, passive individuals might avoid responsibility to evade conflict or stress.
Can negativity be a defense mechanism?
Yes, some people use negativity to protect themselves from disappointment or failure.
Do passive individuals lack opinions?
No, they may have strong opinions but choose not to express them.
Can negativity affect physical health?
Yes, chronic negativity can lead to stress, which impacts physical health.
Can passive people change their behavior?
Yes, with effort and support, passive individuals can learn to be more assertive and active.
Can passivity lead to frustration?
Yes, both for the passive individual and those around them, due to unaddressed issues and lack of progress.
Can workplaces benefit from addressing negativity and passivity?
Yes, addressing these behaviors can improve morale, productivity, and overall workplace culture.
Is being passive the same as being introverted?
No, introversion is a personality trait, while passivity is a behavior that can be exhibited by any personality type.
Are negative comments always harmful?
Not if they are constructive and aimed at improving a situation, but general negativity usually is.
About Author
Written by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
Co-written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
