Definition Definition

active - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'active' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Active [ a.]
- Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting; -- opposed to passive, that receives; as, certain active principles; the powers of the mind.
- Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble; as, an active child or animal.
- In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; -- opposed to quiescent, dormant, or extinct; as, active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano.
- Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy; -- opposed to dull, sluggish, indolent, or inert; as, an active man of business; active mind; active zeal.
- Requiring or implying action or exertion; -- opposed to sedentary or to tranquil; as, active employment or service; active scenes.
- Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative; -- opposed to speculative or theoretical; as, an active rather than a speculative statesman.
- Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn.
- Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease; an active remedy.
- Applied to a form of the verb; -- opposed to passive. See Active voice, under Voice.
- Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive.
- Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state.

Meaning of 'active' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . active [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a person who is a participating member of an organization
Example in sentence:
  • the club issues a list of members, both the actives and the retirees
Meaning (2):
- the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb
Example in sentence:
  • `The boy threw the ball' uses the active voice
3 . active [ a]
Meaning (3):
- disposed to take action or effectuate change
Example in sentence:
  • a director who takes an active interest in corporate operations;
  • an active antagonism;
  • he was active in drawing attention to their grievances
Meaning (4):
- characterized by energetic activity
Example in sentence:
  • active as a gazelle;
  • an active man is a man of action;
  • an active toddler
Meaning (5):
- engaged in full-time work
Example in sentence:
  • active duty;
  • though past retirement age he is still active in his profession
Meaning (6):
- tending to become more severe or wider in scope
Example in sentence:
  • active tuberculosis
Meaning (7):
- (of e.g. volcanos) erupting or liable to erupt
Example in sentence:
  • active volcanos
Meaning (8):
- full of activity or engaged in continuous activity
Example in sentence:
  • an active account;
  • an active bond market;
  • an active seaport
Meaning (9):
- exerting influence or producing a change or effect
Example in sentence:
  • an active ingredient
Meaning (10):
- expressing that the subject of the sentence has the semantic function of actor:
Example in sentence:
  • Hemingway favors active constructions
11 . active [ s]
Meaning (11):
- taking part in an activity
Example in sentence:
  • an active member of the club;
  • he was politically active;
  • the participating organizations
Meaning (12):
- in operation
Example in sentence:
  • an active tradition;
  • keep hope alive;
  • the tradition was still alive
Meaning (13):
- engaged in or ready for military or naval operations
Example in sentence:
  • on active duty;
  • review the fighting forces;
  • the platoon is combat-ready

Nearby Words:

act actable acted actinal actinaria acting actinia actiniae actinias actinic

See 'active' also in:

Dictionary.com Google Translator Wikipedia.com Merriam Webster

Related Definitions

  • Retroactive inhibition
    Retroactive inhibition refers to the detrimental effect of later learning on the recall of previous learning.
  • Proactive inhibition
    Proactive inhibition is the detrimental effect of previous learning on the recall of later learning.
  • Active account
    Active account refers to a brokerage account in which many transactions occur. Brokerage firms may levy a fee if an account generates
  • Active bond crowd
    Active bond crowd refers to members of the bond department of the NYSE who
  • Active fund management
    Active fund management is an investment approach that purposely shifts funds either between asset classes (asset allocation) or between individual
  • Active income
    Active income refers income from an active business as opposed to passive investment income according to the U.S.
  • Active Portfolio Strategy
    Active portfolio strategy is a strategy that uses available information and forecasting techniques to seek better performance than...
  • Active Return
    Active Return means return relative to a benchmark. If a portfolio's return is 5%, and the benchmark's return is 3%, then the portfolio's active return is 2%.
  • Interactive advertising
    Interactive advertising is the includes all forms of online, wireless, and interactive television advertising, including banners, sponsorship,
  • Interactive banner
    Interactive banner is the most advanced stage of the banner. Some banners sense the position of the mouse on the web page and begin

Categories

Browse Dictionary