active

[ ak-tiv ]

/ ˈæk tɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR active ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

engaged in action; characterized by energetic work, participation, etc.; busy: an active life.

being in a state of existence, progress, or motion: active hostilities.

involving physical effort and action: active sports.

having the power of quick motion; nimble: active as a gazelle.

characterized by action, motion, volume, use, participation, etc.: an active market in wheat; an active list of subscribers.

causing activity or change; capable of exerting influence (opposed to passive): active treason.

effective (opposed to inert): active ingredients.

Grammar. noting or pertaining to a voice of verbal inflection in which typically the subject of the sentence is represented as performing the action expressed by the verb (opposed to passive): Writes in He writes a letter every day is an active verb form.

requiring or giving rise to action; practical: an active course.

(of a volcano) in eruption.

Accounting. profitable; busy: active accounts.

requiring personal effort or attention; not automatic: an active alarm system.

interest-bearing: active paper.

Medicine/Medical. acting quickly; producing immediate effects: active remedies.

Sociology. (of a crowd) engaging in purposeful activity, often of a militant nature. Compare expressive(def 4).

Aerospace. able to transmit signals: an active communications satellite.

Electronics. (of a device or system) acting as a source of electrical energy, as a generator, or capable of amplifying or converting voltages or currents, as a transistor or diode.

(of a solar heating system) accumulating and distributing solar heat by mechanical means.

Military. serving on active duty.

noun

Grammar.

the active voice.
a form or construction in the active voice.

an active person, member, subscriber, etc.: The circular was mailed only to the actives on our list.

Informal. something showing considerable action or activity: On the stock market there was heavy trading in the actives.

Origin of active

First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin āctīvus; replacing Middle English actif, from Middle French, from Latin; see act, -ive

SYNONYMS FOR active

1 acting; working; operative.

4 agile, sprightly.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR active ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR active

1 lazy.

5 sluggish.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR active ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for active

3. Active, energetic, strenuous, vigorous imply a liveliness and briskness in accomplishing something. Active suggests quickness and diligence as opposed to laziness or dilatory methods: an active and useful person. Energetic suggests forceful and intense, sometimes nervous, activity: conducting an energetic campaign. Strenuous implies arduous and zealous activity with a sense of urgency: a strenuous effort. Vigorous suggests strong, effective activity: using vigorous measures to accomplish an end.

OTHER WORDS FROM active

ac·tive·ly, adverb ac·tive·ness, noun non·ac·tive, adjective, noun pre·ac·tive, adjective

pre·ac·tive·ly, adverb pre·ac·tive·ness, noun qua·si-ac·tive, adjective qua·si-ac·tive·ly, adverb sem·i·ac·tive, adjective sem·i·ac·tive·ly, adverb sem·i·ac·tive·ness, noun su·per·ac·tive, adjective su·per·ac·tive·ly, adverb su·per·ac·tive·ness, noun

Words nearby active

activated resin, activated sludge, activation analysis, activation energy, activator, active, active anaphylaxis, active centre, active chronic hepatitis, active congestion, active duty

Example sentences from the Web for actively

Now, she says, her coworkers are actively pranking each other and blaming it on the ghost.

New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion |Nina Strochlic |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Grimm has even been actively trying hire staff members for his office in recent weeks after several former aides deserted him.

The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress |Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander |December 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
According to League, Alamo Drafthouse was actively working with Sony on Monday on the possibility of screening The Interview.

The Inside Story of How Sony’s ‘The Interview’ Finally Made It to Theaters |Marlow Stern |December 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
As more come online, they will actively seek better selling prices elsewhere and also source their goods internationally.

Silicon Valley Sets Its Sights on Africa |Christian Borys |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

And then there was the segment of the media that actively cheered it all on.

The U.S. Will Torture Again—and We’re All to Blame |Michael Tomasky |December 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They produce tin, by actively working the land which contains it.

In Northern Mists (Volume 1 of 2) |Fridtjof Nansen
But, as Lovibond entered the room, a scene of yet more primitive interest was actively proceeding.

Capt'n Davy's Honeymoon |Hall Caine
They were before uncharitable and wrong, but now they are actively pernicious.

Trevethlan (Vol 3 of 3) |William Davy Watson
It is not unlike a pus-corpuscle in size and general appearance, but is actively motile.

A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis |James Campbell Todd
She began to busy herself, to actively give them outlet, to have time or surplus energies for the evolution of fancies beyond her.

Gargoyles |Ben Hecht

British Dictionary definitions for actively

active

/ (ˈæktɪv) /

adjective

in a state of action; moving, working, or doing something

busy or involved an active life

physically energetic

exerting influence; effective an active ingredient

grammar

denoting a voice of verbs used to indicate that the subject of a sentence is performing the action or causing the event or process described by the verb, as kicked in The boy kicked the footballCompare passive (def. 5)
another word for nonstative

being fully engaged in military service (esp in the phrase on active service)

(of a volcano) erupting periodically; not extinct Compare dormant (def. 3), extinct (def. 3)

astronomy (of the sun) exhibiting a large number of sunspots, solar flares, etc, and a marked variation in intensity and frequency of radio emission Compare quiet (def. 8)

commerce

producing or being used to produce profit, esp in the form of interestactive balances
of or denoting stocks or shares that have been actively bought and sold as recorded in the Official List of the London Stock Exchange

electronics

containing a source of poweran active network
capable of amplifying a signal or controlling some functionan active component; an active communication satellite

noun

grammar

the active voice
an active verb

mainly US a member of an organization who participates in its activities

Derived forms of active

actively, adverb activeness, noun

Word Origin for active

C14: from Latin āctīvus. See act, -ive

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

active

adjective

noun

Origin of active

SYNONYMS FOR active

ANTONYMS FOR active

synonym study for active

OTHER WORDS FROM active

Words nearby active

Example sentences from the Web for actively

British Dictionary definitions for actively

adjective

noun

Derived forms of active

Word Origin for active

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

active

adjective

noun

Origin of active

SYNONYMS FOR active

ANTONYMS FOR active

synonym study for active

OTHER WORDS FROM active

Words nearby active

Words related to actively

Example sentences from the Web for actively

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for actively

adjective

noun

Derived forms of active

Word Origin for active

British Dictionary definitions for actively