Passive-aggressive

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Showing passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to following authoritative instructions in interpersonal or occupational situations.
  2. 2
    Showing covert hostility, intending to cause annoyance or to humiliate, while maintaining a transparent (to the recipient) veneer of politeness.

    "“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."

Example

More examples

"He's a passive-aggressive teacher."

Etymology

From 1940s, after passive aggression.

Related phrases

pass-aggpassive-aggressionpassive-aggressive personality disorderpassive-aggressivelypassive-aggressivenesspassive-aggressivist

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.