Definition of "passive-aggressive" [passive-aggressive]

• Of, relating to, or having a personality disorder characterized by habitual passive resistance to demands for adequate performance in occupational or social situations, as by procrastination, stubbornness, sullenness, and inefficiency. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Drake and Shebib's artistic stance on Take Care effectively hamstrings the production simply so that Drake can voice his, yeah, passive-aggressive rhymes within an atmosphere that lulls us into listening, seduces us into staying with him."
• ""Oh no, another big decision, another headache, 50 calls to an insurance company, another go-round with the passive-aggressive phone answerer who, even though she's never met me, calls me Freddy as she puts me on hold.""
• "But the Pulitzer Board's passive-aggressive attitude towards online writing is the comedy gift that keeps on giving."