When the phrase “passive-aggressive” first appeared, many people scoffed. After all, these two words contradict each other. Well, we hate to inform the nay-sayers but this is real.

This is an indirect resistance to the demands of others, whether through personality characterization or behavior as a way to avoid direct confrontation. Simply put, a person acts in both a passive and aggressive way at the same time. For anyone who doesn’t believe it exists, check out these 75 notes.