permissive
Americanadjective
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habitually or characteristically accepting or tolerant of something, as social behavior or linguistic usage, that others might disapprove or forbid.
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granting or denoting permission.
a permissive nod.
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left to one's choice; not mandatory.
This legislation is permissive and merely authorizes counties to levy a tax if in the county's best interest.
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Genetics. (of a cell) permitting replication of a strand of DNA that could be lethal, as a viral segment or mutant gene.
adjective
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tolerant; lenient
permissive parents
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indulgent in matters of sex
a permissive society
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granting permission
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archaic not obligatory
Other Word Forms
- nonpermissive adjective
- nonpermissively adverb
- permissively adverb
- permissiveness noun
- unpermissive adjective
Etymology
Origin of permissive
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French permissif “granting permission”; permission, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Those dominant players enjoy "extremely permissive regulatory contexts on copyright," Herblin-Stoop said.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
But they were worried about permissive Western ideas changing Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
That review saw the MoD commit to developing "more permissive" regulations for such autonomous systems, in a potential shift away from the position that there should always be "context-appropriate human involvement" in weapons.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
International health bodies, like a British analysis of global alcohol consumption data, show that nations taking stricter stances have seen measurable public‑health gains, complicating the idea that more permissive guidance is inherently “liberating.”
From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026
Under the permissive library laws of thirty States, there had been formed up to 1896, when the last comprehensive statistics were gathered, about 1,200 free public libraries, supported by taxation, in the United States.
From A Book for All Readers An Aid to the Collection, Use, and Preservation of Books and the Formation of Public and Private Libraries by Spofford, Ainsworth Rand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
