Dictionary Definition
active adj
1 tending to become more severe or wider in
scope; "active tuberculosis" [ant: inactive]
2 engaged in or ready for military or naval
operations; "on active duty"; "the platoon is combat-ready";
"review the fighting forces" [syn: combat-ready,
fighting(a)]
3 disposed to take action or effectuate change;
"a director who takes an active interest in corporate operations";
"an active antagonism"; "he was active in drawing attention to
their grievances" [ant: passive]
4 taking part in an activity; "an active member
of the club"; "he was politically active"; "the participating
organizations" [syn: participating]
5 characterized by energetic activity; "an active
toddler"; "active as a gazelle"; "an active man is a man of action"
[ant: inactive]
6 exerting influence or producing an effect; "an
active ingredient" [ant: inactive]
7 full of activity or engaged in continuous
activity; "an active seaport"; "an active bond market"; "an active
account" [ant: inactive]
8 in operation; "keep hope alive"; "the tradition
was still alive"; "an active tradition" [syn: alive(p)]
9 of the sun; characterized by a high level
activity in sunspots and flares and radio emissions [ant: quiet]
10 expressing that the subject of the sentence
has the semantic function of actor: "Hemingway favors active
constructions" [ant: passive]
11 expressing action rather than a state of
being; used of verbs (e.g. `to run') and participial adjectives
(e.g. `running' in `running water') [syn: dynamic] [ant: stative]
13 producing activity or change [ant: counteractive]
14 engaged in full-time work; "active duty";
"though past retirement age he is still active in his profession"
[ant: inactive]
15 being in physical motion; "active fish in the
aquarium"
16 characterized by energetic bodily activity;
"tennis is an active sport"; "a very physical dance performance"
[syn: physical]
Noun
1 chemical agent capable of activity [syn:
active
agent]
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; "`The boy threw the ball' uses the
active voice" [syn: active
voice] [ant: passive
voice]
3 a person devoted to the active life [ant:
contemplative]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- /ˈæktɪv/, /"
Extensive Definition
Active may mean:
- Active lifestyle
- Active volcano
- Sky Active, Sky's Interactive Service
- Active grammatical voice
- Active component, in electronics
- The active partner in a sexual activity
- An "active" in a fraternity or sorority
- ACTIVE - Active - sobriety, friendship and peace; A European temperance youth organization
- Active Records, a record label
- Active Enterprises, a defunct video game developer
- Active (ship), a brigantine sunk in 1810 somewhere in the Tasman Sea.
- Original name of the early steam train Locomotion No 1
See also
active in German:
Aktiv
active in Spanish:
Activo
active in French:
Actif
active in Hungarian:
Aktív
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
acting, active voice, activist, activistic, acute, aggressive, agile, alert, alive, animated, assiduous, at work, bouncing, bouncy, breezy, brisk, bubbly, bustling, busy, catty, chipper, compliant, conforming, conscientious, constant, devoted, devout, diligent, driving, duteous, dutiful, dynamic, ebullient, effective, effectual, effervescent, efficacious, efficient, energetic, enterprising, enthusiastic, expeditious, faithful, flexible, forceful, forcible, frisky, full, full of go, full of life,
full of pep, functional, functioning, go-go, going, going on, graceful, hearty, hyperactive, impelling, impetuous, in exercise, in
force, in hand, in motion, in operation, in play, in practice, in
process, in the works, inaction, incisive, industrious, influential, intense, keen, kinetic, live, lively, living, loyal, lusty, medio-passive, mercurial, meticulous, mettlesome, middle, middle voice, militant, mindful, mobile, motile, motivational, motive, motor, moving, nimble, observant, occupied, on foot, on the fire,
on the go, on the move, ongoing, operating, operational, operative, passive, passive voice, peppy, perky, pert, physical, potent, powerful, practicing, prompt, propellant, propelling, punctilious, punctual, quick, quicksilver, ready, reflexive, regardful, robust, running, rushing, scrupulous, smacking, snappy, spanking, spirited, sprightly, spry, stirring, strenuous, strong, supple, take-charge, take-over,
transitional,
traveling, trenchant, true, vibrant, vigorous, vivacious, vivid, voice, wide-awake, working, zestful, zesty, zingy, zippy