2 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Active \Ac"tive\, a. [F. actif, L. activus, fr. agere to act.]
1. Having the power or quality of acting; causing change;
communicating action or motion; acting; -- opposed to
{passive}, that receives; as, certain active principles;
the powers of the mind.
2. Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body;
nimble; as, an active child or animal.
Active and nervous was his gait. --Wordsworth.
3. In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; --
opposed to {quiescent}, {dormant}, or {extinct}; as,
active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano.
4. Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic;
diligent; busy; -- opposed to {dull}, {sluggish},
{indolent}, or {inert}; as, an active man of business;
active mind; active zeal.
5. Requiring or implying action or exertion; -- opposed to
{sedentary} or to {tranquil}; as, active employment or
service; active scenes.
6. Given to action rather than contemplation; practical;
operative; -- opposed to {speculative} or {theoretical};
as, an active rather than a speculative statesman.
7. Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn.
8. Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease;
an active remedy.
9. (Gram.)
(a) Applied to a form of the verb; -- opposed to
{passive}. See {Active voice}, under {Voice}.
(b) Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts
upon or affects something else; transitive.
(c) Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct
from mere existence or state.
{Active capital}, {Active wealth}, money, or property that
may readily be converted into money.
Syn: Agile; alert; brisk; vigorous; nimble; lively; quick;
sprightly; prompt; energetic.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
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}]
12: (of e.g. volcanos) erupting or liable to erupt; "active
volcanos" [ant: {dormant}, {extinct}]
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}]
n 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}]