active

[ ak-tiv ]

/ ˈæk tɪv /

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See synonyms for: active / actively / activeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

engaged in action; characterized by energetic work, participation, etc.; busy: an active life.

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.

causing activity or change; capable of exerting influence (opposed to passive): active treason.

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.

noun

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR active

1 acting; working; operative.

4 agile, sprightly.

See synonyms for active on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR active

1 lazy.

5 sluggish.

See antonyms for active on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of active

First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin āctīvus; replacing Middle English actif, from Middle French, from Latin; see act, -ive

synonym study for active

3. Active, energetic, strenuous, vigorous imply a liveliness and briskness in accomplishing something. Active suggests quickness and diligence as opposed to laziness or dilatory methods: an active and useful person. Energetic suggests forceful and intense, sometimes nervous, activity: conducting an energetic campaign. Strenuous implies arduous and zealous activity with a sense of urgency: a strenuous effort. Vigorous suggests strong, effective activity: using vigorous measures to accomplish an end.

OTHER WORDS FROM active

ac·tive·ly, adverbac·tive·ness, nounnon·ac·tive, adjective, nounpre·ac·tive, adjective

pre·ac·tive·ness, nounqua·si-ac·tive, adjectivesem·i·ac·tive, adjectivesem·i·ac·tive·ness, nounsu·per·ac·tive, adjectivesu·per·ac·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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 History
All 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 King
Liquors 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

active

/ (ˈæktɪv) /

adjective

in a state of action; moving, working, or doing something

busy or involvedan active life

physically energetic

exerting influence; effectivean 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 footballCompare 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 extinctCompare 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 emissionCompare quiet (def. 8)

commerce

producing or being used to produce profit, esp in the form of interestactive 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 poweran active network
capable of amplifying a signal or controlling some functionan active component; an active communication satellite

noun

grammar

the active voice
an active verb

mainly US a member of an organization who participates in its activities

Derived forms of active

actively, adverbactiveness, noun

Word Origin for active

C14: from Latin āctīvus. See act, -ive

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

active

OTHER WORDS FOR active

OPPOSITES FOR active

Origin of active

synonym study for active

OTHER WORDS FROM active

Words related to active

How to use active in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for active

Derived forms of active

Word Origin for active