active
being in a state of existence, progress, or motion: active hostilities.
involving physical effort and action: active sports.
having the power of quick motion; nimble: active as a gazelle.
characterized by action, motion, volume, use, participation, etc.: an active market in wheat; an active list of subscribers.
effective (opposed to inert): active ingredients.
Grammar. noting or pertaining to a voice of verbal inflection in which typically the subject of the sentence is represented as performing the action expressed by the verb (opposed to passive): Writes in He writes a letter every day is an active verb form.
requiring or giving rise to action; practical: an active course.
Geology. (of a volcano) having erupted within the last 10,000 years and likely to do so again or currently in a state of eruption.: Compare dormant (def. 6), extinct (def. 5).
Accounting. profitable; busy: active accounts.
requiring personal effort or attention; not automatic: an active alarm system.
interest-bearing: active paper.
Medicine/Medical. acting quickly; producing immediate effects: active remedies.
Sociology. (of a crowd) engaging in purposeful activity, often of a militant nature.: Compare expressive (def. 4).
Aerospace. able to transmit signals: an active communications satellite.
Electronics. (of a device or system) acting as a source of electrical energy, as a generator, or capable of amplifying or converting voltages or currents, as a transistor or diode.
(of a solar heating system) accumulating and distributing solar heat by mechanical means.
Military. serving on active duty.
Grammar.
the active voice.
a form or construction in the active voice.
an active person, member, subscriber, etc.: The circular was mailed only to the actives on our list.
Informal. something showing considerable action or activity: On the stock market there was heavy trading in the actives.
Origin of active
1synonym study For active
Other words for active
Opposites for active
Other words from active
- ac·tive·ly, adverb
- ac·tive·ness, noun
- non·ac·tive, adjective, noun
- pre·ac·tive, adjective
- pre·ac·tive·ness, noun
- qua·si-ac·tive, adjective
- sem·i·ac·tive, adjective
- sem·i·ac·tive·ness, noun
- su·per·ac·tive, adjective
- su·per·ac·tive·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use active in a sentence
En même temps elle prend des mesures actives, et si ces mesures sont tolérées, ses prétentions augmenteront proportionnellement.
Why We Are At War (2nd Edition, revised) | Members of the Oxford Faculty of Modern HistoryAll the leading junior clubs swore by him and would use no ball but his,—the champion Actives, the Alerts, the Uncas.
From School to Battle-field | Charles KingLiquors which can be made solid by the effect of certain re-actives, offer, on this account, some advantage.
History of Embalming | J. N. Gannal
British Dictionary definitions for active
/ (ˈæktɪv) /
in a state of action; moving, working, or doing something
busy or involved: an active life
physically energetic
exerting influence; effective: an active ingredient
grammar
denoting a voice of verbs used to indicate that the subject of a sentence is performing the action or causing the event or process described by the verb, as kicked in The boy kicked the football: Compare passive (def. 5)
another word for nonstative
being fully engaged in military service (esp in the phrase on active service)
(of a volcano) erupting periodically; not extinct: Compare dormant (def. 3), extinct (def. 3)
astronomy (of the sun) exhibiting a large number of sunspots, solar flares, etc, and a marked variation in intensity and frequency of radio emission: Compare quiet (def. 8)
commerce
producing or being used to produce profit, esp in the form of interest: active balances
of or denoting stocks or shares that have been actively bought and sold as recorded in the Official List of the London Stock Exchange
electronics
containing a source of power: an active network
capable of amplifying a signal or controlling some function: an active component; an active communication satellite
grammar
the active voice
an active verb
mainly US a member of an organization who participates in its activities
Origin of active
1Derived forms of active
- actively, adverb
- activeness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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