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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

active.

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

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈæk.tɪv/

  1. 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

  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
    active hostilities

  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
    active mind

  6. Requiring or implying action or exertion

    active employment or service
    active scenes

  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
    an active remedy

  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.

  14. Not passive.

  15. enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner.

    slang
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvusbor. Old French actifbor. Middle English actyf English active 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.

noun/ˈæk.tɪv/

  1. A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting.

  2. Any component that is not passive. See Passivity (engineering).

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvusbor. Old French actifbor. Middle English actyf English active 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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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.