Sign In Get Started
Prepositions after adjectives

Passive in, to, about, with or for?

Passive often combines with in or about. Other prepositions can appear in specific meanings or as separate phrases.

Quick answer

Passive in and passive about are the main patterns

Use passive in for lack of active involvement in an area. Use passive about for lack of reaction. Passive to appears in scientific contexts, while with or for usually introduce separate relationships.

He remained passive in class discussions.
They were passive about the changes.
The sensor is passive to heat.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
passive in + activity

Not actively involved

Use in with areas of action or participation.

She became passive in political debates.
2
passive about + issue

Showing little reaction

About introduces the topic receiving little response.

The board stayed passive about the complaints.
3
passive to + force

Technical or scientific meaning

To may describe response to an external force or stimulus.

The material is passive to magnetic fields.
4
passive with + person

Relationship context

With usually refers to behaviour toward someone.

He was too passive with aggressive clients.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
passive in
She was passive in meetings.
Not actively participating.
passive to
The device is passive to light changes.
Technical response relationship.
passive about
They are passive about the problem.
Not reacting strongly.
passive with
He became passive with his opponents.
Describes behaviour toward others.
passive for
Passive for is not a usual adjective pattern.
Avoid as a direct complement.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using for after passive

Passive for is not standard as a direct adjective pattern.

✕ She is passive for criticism. ✓ She is passive about criticism.

Confusing in and about

In refers to participation; about refers to reaction.

✓ He is passive in meetings but passive about office politics.

Using to in everyday contexts

Passive to is mainly technical.

✕ She is passive to the discussion. ✓ She is passive in the discussion.

Omitting the preposition

Passive usually needs a complement phrase.

✕ They were passive the issue. ✓ They were passive about the issue.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. He stayed ___ the negotiations.
2. The public seemed ___ the announcement.
3. The coating is passive ___ moisture.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

What does passive in mean?

It means not actively participating in something.

Is passive for correct?

Not usually as a direct adjective pattern.

When is passive to used?

Mostly in technical or scientific language.

packed-with-to-in-on, into "paid for" or "paid up"? painful for, to, in, at or of? "palatable to" or "palatable for"? "pale in" or "pale of"? "pandemic of" or "pandemic in"? "paramount to" or "paramount in"? paranoid about, of, in, with or over? partial to, of, in, towards or for? participating in, of, on, at or for? "particular about" or "particular to"? part-time at, in, for, as or with?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account