active
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active
- /ˈæk.tɪv/
Rhymes with -æktɪv
Where it comes from
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.
adjective more active · most active
- Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives. certain active principles
- Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble. an active child or animal
-
In action; actually proceeding; working; in force
active laws
Similar: in action, working, in force · Opposite: quiescent, dormant, extinct
-
Emitting hot materials, such as lava, smoke, or steam, or producing tremors.
Similar: in action, working, in force · Opposite: quiescent, dormant, extinct
-
Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy
an active man of business
Similar: busy, deedful, diligent, energetic · Opposite: dull, sluggish, indolent, inert
- Requiring or implying action or exertion active employment or service
-
Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative
an active rather than a speculative statesman
Opposite: theoretical, speculative
- Brisk; lively. an active demand for corn
- Implying or producing rapid action. an active disease
- 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.
- 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.
- Not passive.
- enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner.
Similar: abuzz, active, agile, airy, alive, animate, animated, brisk, busy, busy as a bee, buxom, buzzing, diligent, driven, driving, dynamic, eager, effervescent, energetic, enthusiastic, expeditious, frisky, gay, genki, glowing, happy, hearty, impetuous, industrious, keen · Opposite: enervated, extinct, haggard, inactive, lither, nondriven, quiet, restful, sleeping, slow
noun actives
- 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 […]
- 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: active voice, existing, existent, practicing, operational, on, about, going, open, alive, dynamic, live, activistic, activist, dynamical, progressive
adjective
Similar: abuzz, active, agile, airy, alive, animate, animated, brisk, busy, busy as a bee, buxom, buzzing, diligent, driven, driving, dynamic, eager, effervescent, energetic, enthusiastic, expeditious, frisky, gay, genki, glowing, happy, hearty, impetuous, industrious, keen · Opposite: enervated, extinct, haggard, inactive, lither, nondriven, quiet, restful, sleeping, slow
Translations
Every language
adj in action
| 日本語 | 能動的な nōdōteki na |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 現行 /现行 xiànxíng |
| हिन्दी | सक्रिय sakriya, क्रियात्मक kriyātmak |
| Português | ativado |
| Français | actif |
| Deutsch | aktiv |
| Ελληνικά | ενεργός energós |
| Русский | действи́тельный dejstvítelʹnyj, де́йствующий déjstvujuščij |
| العربية | شَغَّال šaḡḡāl, عَامِل ʕāmil |
adj given to action
| 日本語 | 積極的な sekkyokuteki na, 能動的な nōdōteki na |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 積極 /积极 jījí, 能動 /能动 néngdòng |
| Português | ativo |
| Français | actif |
| Deutsch | tätig |
| Ελληνικά | δραστήριος drastírios |
| Русский | акти́вный aktívnyj, де́ятельный déjatelʹnyj |
adj in grammar
| Español | activo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 능동 neungdong |
| 日本語 | 能動 nōdō |
| 中文 | 主動 /主动 zhǔdòng |
| हिन्दी | क्रियात्मक kriyātmak |
| Português | ativo |
| Français | actif |
| Deutsch | aktiv |
| Ελληνικά | ενεργητικός energitikós |
| Русский | действи́тельный dejstvítelʹnyj, акти́вный aktívnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | chủ động |
| العربية | فَاعِل fāʕil, مَعْلُوم maʕlūm |
adj having the quality or power of acting
| Español | activo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 활동적 hwaldongjeok |
| 日本語 | 活動的な katsudōteki na |
| 中文 | 積極 /积极 jījí |
| हिन्दी | सक्रिय sakriya |
| Português | ativo |
| Français | actif |
| Deutsch | aktiv |
| Italiano | attivo |
| Română | activ |
| Русский | акти́вный aktívnyj, де́ятельный déjatelʹnyj |
| العربية | نَشِيط našīṭ, عَامِل ʕāmil |
| עברית | פָּעִיל pa'íl |
adj quick in physical movement
| 日本語 | すばしっこい subashikkoi |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 敏捷 mǐnjié, 靈活 /灵活 línghuó, 利落 lìluo |
| हिन्दी | चपल capal |
| Português | ativo |
| Français | actif |
| Deutsch | gewandt, flink |
| Русский | акти́вный aktívnyj, прово́рный provórnyj |
| العربية | نَشِيط našīṭ |
adj requiring or implying action or exertion
| Русский | акти́вный aktívnyj |
|---|
adj given to action rather than contemplation
| 日本語 | 活動的な katsudōteki na |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | rührig |
| Русский | де́ятельный déjatelʹnyj, акти́вный aktívnyj, энерги́чный enɛrgíčnyj |
| العربية | حَرِك ḥarik |
Talk about this word "active." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/active. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. active. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/active "active." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/active.Cite this
@misc{active_2026,
title = {active},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/active},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
