supine
1
9.1
- adjective
- /suːˈpaɪn/
- Formal
:
pasivo
- She regarded her son-in-law as a supine flop, and didn't bother to conceal this opinion from him.
Examples
-
We have a hollowed out, supine, boneless Congress and no one's happy.
-
But that ambition cannot explain the behavior of Congress, which has been strikingly supine.
Academic text (2006) -
The route taken did not indicate a supine attitude on the part of the Council.
Academic text (1995) -
During the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, the American media were supine.
Academic text (2003) -
What kind of intellectually supine position is that to take?
Blog text (30) -
Charles Krauthammer said the media has been supine.
Blog text (14) -
One commentator aptly described it as "supine deference."
Blog text (34) -
Now that the proposition has been overruled, one would have expected widespread alarm rather than the kind of supine quiescence that Kirsanow reports.
Academic text (2003) -
All that blocks him from ravaging our rights and freedoms is a supine Senate and a timid array of House Republicans.
Blog text (2) -
His supine attitude towards important issues frustrated his friends.
Synonyms
20
4.7
Not reacting to touch, sound, or commands
Antonyms
Compounds
How Passive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Supine comes from Latin supinus, which meant 'lying on the back'. A helpful way to remember the figurative meaning is to imagine someone lying back and not acting, so supine can also mean 'passive' or 'failing to act'.