This is a special word that we are putting up today, on the 2nd of October. 2nd October, as we all know in India, is ‘Gandhi Jayanti’, in other words the birthday of India’s Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. In more than one ways, this day is symbolic of peace and tranquillity, and symbolized the basic ethos that Mahatma Gandhi stood for. Out of all the principles that he put forward, one that stood out was that of non-violence and passivism. In it, the form of protest he adopted was one of non-cooperation and civil disobedience. He fundamentally believed that all violence is unjustifiable; hence, the principle of passive resistance should be adopted.

This is the background for today’s special word: passivism. It is the doctrine of passive protest, a protest and resistance where violence is shunned and peaceful methods are adopted.

Pronunciation: pas-uh-viz-uhm

Meanings of Passivism

1. The doctrine that all violence is unjustifiable; hence, the principle of passive resistance.
2. The quality of being passive.

Sentence examples for Passivism:

1. Public passivism and short-term gains were the ruling ‘isms’ of the time.
2. The first phase is theistic passivism wherein wildlife’s abundance is attributed to some external force.
3. Such activism, however, is seen as a contrast to Emerson’s own self-reliant passivism.