The two nouns 'passivity and passiveness' are synonyms and both have the same definitions, 'the state or condition of being passive.' 1 the trait of remaining inactive; 2 a lack of initiative / submission to others or to outside influences; 3 the trait of being willing to yield to the will of another person or a superior force. The only difference between the two (IMHO), if there a difference, might be in their usage. I would use 'passivity' in a way similar to a mass/collective noun, describing the passive nature or state of a large group, and 'passiveness' being used to describe a person's state of being passive. For example: The nation is failing because of the passivity of its population. He/She is failing because of his/her passiveness. Please note that my interpretation of the usage difference is just my opinion and is not based on anything I've read or been taught. ********************************** submissiveness (noun): the trait of being willing to yield to the will of another person or a superior force. e.g., The employees exhibited their submissiveness towards their demanding boss. submission (noun): the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another e.g., The boss demanded his employee's submission.

Another couple of words too: submission and submissiveness.