Active

//ˈæk.tɪv// adj, noun, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives.

    "certain active principles"

  2. 2
    Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble.

    "an active child or animal"

  3. 3
    In action; actually proceeding; working; in force

    "active laws"

  4. 4
    In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; Emitting hot materials, such as lava, smoke, or steam, or producing tremors. specifically
  5. 5
    Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy

    "an active man of business"

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  1. 6
    Requiring or implying action or exertion

    "active employment or service"

  2. 7
    Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative

    "an active rather than a speculative statesman"

  3. 8
    Brisk; lively.

    "an active demand for corn"

  4. 9
    Implying or producing rapid action.

    "an active disease"

  5. 10
    About verbs.; Applied to a form of the verb; — opposed to passive. See active voice.
  6. 11
    About verbs.; Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive.
  7. 12
    About verbs.; Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state.
  8. 13
    Eligible to be processed by a compiler or interpreter.

    "I think it should be upgraded to Visual BASIC, but I'm no good at that. So maybe someone here would like to take a crack at it. There are only 40 lines of active code, plus a few REMs. About 100 BASIC commands altogether."

  9. 14
    Not passive.
  10. 15
    enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner. slang
Adjective
  1. 1
    characterized by energetic activity wordnet
  2. 2
    engaged in full-time work wordnet
  3. 3
    full of activity or engaged in continuous activity wordnet
  4. 4
    tending to become more severe or wider in scope wordnet
  5. 5
    disposed to take action or effectuate change wordnet
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  1. 6
    (of e.g. volcanoes) erupting or liable to erupt wordnet
  2. 7
    (of e.g. volcanoes) capable of erupting wordnet
  3. 8
    (used of verbs (e.g. ‘to run’) and participial adjectives (e.g. ‘running’ in ‘running water’)) expressing action rather than a state of being wordnet
  4. 9
    expressing that the subject of the sentence has the semantic function of actor: wordnet
  5. 10
    exerting influence or producing a change or effect wordnet
  6. 11
    (of the sun) characterized by an increased occurrence of sunspots and flares and radio emissions wordnet
  7. 12
    in operation wordnet
  8. 13
    taking part in an activity wordnet
  9. 14
    engaged in or ready for military or naval operations wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting.

    ""Alumni could become more active in giving guidance and leadership to students. They act as sort of a 'maturity governor' on fraternities," notes Ratliff, citing surveys suggesting that fraternity actives presume mistakenly that alumni want hazing […]"

  2. 2
    a person who is a participating member of an organization wordnet
  3. 3
    Any component that is not passive. See Passivity (engineering).

    "Components are split into two broad segments: actives and passives. Active components like the vacuum tube and the transistor contain the power to generate and alter electrical signals."

  4. 4
    the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb wordnet
  5. 5
    chemical agent capable of activity wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English actyf, from Old French actif, from Latin āctīv(us), from agere (“to do, to act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. By surface analysis, act + -ive.

Etymology 2

From Middle English actyf, from Old French actif, from Latin āctīv(us), from agere (“to do, to act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. By surface analysis, act + -ive.

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