What does "active" mean?
A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting.
Active
/ˈæk.tɪv/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting.
- Grammar: active is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: participating, abuzz, acting, action.
- Useful contrasts: enervated, extinct, inactive.
- Usage evidence: Stock prices soared in active trading as corporations announced good financial results.
How to use "active"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "active" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "active" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "active" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "active" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "active" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "participating" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "active", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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 a person who is a participating member of an organization wordnet
- 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 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 chemical agent capable of activity wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives.
"certain active principles"
- 2 Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble.
"an active child or animal"
- 3 In action; actually proceeding; working; in force
"active laws"
- 4 In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; Emitting hot materials, such as lava, smoke, or steam, or producing tremors. specifically
- 5 Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy
"an active man of business"
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 Requiring or implying action or exertion
"active employment or service"
- 7 Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative
"an active rather than a speculative statesman"
- 8 Brisk; lively.
"an active demand for corn"
- 9 Implying or producing rapid action.
"an active disease"
- 10 About verbs.; Applied to a form of the verb; — opposed to passive. See active voice.
- 11 About verbs.; Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive.
- 12 About verbs.; Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state.
- 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."
- 14 Not passive.
- 15 enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner. slang
Adjective
- 1 characterized by energetic activity wordnet
- 2 engaged in full-time work wordnet
- 3 full of activity or engaged in continuous activity wordnet
- 4 tending to become more severe or wider in scope wordnet
- 5 disposed to take action or effectuate change wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 (of e.g. volcanoes) erupting or liable to erupt wordnet
- 7 (of e.g. volcanoes) capable of erupting wordnet
- 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
- 9 expressing that the subject of the sentence has the semantic function of actor: wordnet
- 10 exerting influence or producing a change or effect wordnet
- 11 (of the sun) characterized by an increased occurrence of sunspots and flares and radio emissions wordnet
- 12 in operation wordnet
- 13 taking part in an activity wordnet
- 14 engaged in or ready for military or naval operations wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Stock prices soared in active trading as corporations announced good financial results."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "active"?
Common synonyms include: participating, abuzz, acting, action, activated, active agent.
How do you use "active" in a sentence?
Stock prices soared in active trading as corporations announced good financial results.
How do you pronounce "active"?
Pronounced /ˈæk.tɪv/.
Etymology
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.