active
Etymology
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Etymology
From Middle English actyf, from Old French actif, from Latin activus, from agere, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti.
Morphologically act + -ive.
Pronunciation- IPA: /ˈæk.tɪv/
active
- Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives.
- certain active principles
- the active powers of the mind
- Synonyms: acting
- Antonyms: passive
- Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble.
- an active child or animal
- Synonyms: agile, nimble
- Antonyms: passive, indolent, still
- In action; actually proceeding; working; in force
- active laws
- active hostilities
- Synonyms: in action, working, in force
- Antonyms: quiescent, dormant, extinct
- (specifically, of certain geological features, such as volcano, geysers, etc) Emitting hot materials, such as lava, smoke, or steam, or producing tremors.
- Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy
- an active man of business
- active mind
- active zeal
- 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:
- This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. […] He was smooth-faced, and his fresh skin and well-developed figure bespoke the man in good physical condition through active exercise, yet well content with the world's apportionment.
- Synonyms: busy, deedful, diligent, energetic
- Antonyms: dull, sluggish, indolent, inert
- Requiring or implying action or exertion
- active employment or service
- active scenes
- Synonyms: operative
- Antonyms: passive, tranquil, sedentary
- Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative
- an active rather than a speculative statesman
- Antonyms: theoretical, speculative
- Brisk; lively.
- an active demand for corn
- Implying or producing rapid action.
- an active disease
- an active remedy
- Antonyms: passive, slow
- (heading, grammar) About verbs.
- Applied to a form of the verb; — opposed to passive. See active 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.
- (computing, of source code) Eligible to be processed by a compiler or interpreter.
- (electronics) Not passive.
- (gay sexual slang) (of a homosexual man) enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner.
- Synonyms: top
- Antonyms: passive, bottom
- See also Thesaurus:active
- French: actif
- German: aktiv
- Portuguese: ativado
- Russian: действи́тельный
- Russian: акти́вный
- German: rührig
- Russian: де́ятельный
- Portuguese: ativo
- Russian: энерги́чный
- French: actif
- German: aktiv
- Portuguese: ativo
- Russian: действи́тельный
- Spanish: activo
active (plural actives)
- A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting.
- (electronics) Any component that is not passive. See Passivity (engineering).
- 2013, David Manners, Hitchhikers' Guide to Electronics in the '90s, page 36:
- 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.
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.004
