Mrs. Mortimer, also in black, sat in a determinedly passive silence.

So Labour passed the welfare bill with the passive silence of a married orgasm.

Somehow her sitting in passive silence within hearing of this illness seemed to contribute to her mother's relief.

Because of his blind helplessness, and comprehending the uselessness of his resistance, he had finally yielded in passive silence.

Is there a contented hum of collaborative activity from everyone, a passive silence from those waiting to be told what to do, or downright chaos?