ACTIVE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does active mean? 

• ACTIVE (noun)
  The noun ACTIVE has 3 senses:

1. chemical agent capable of activity

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

3. a person who is a participating member of an organization

  Familiarity information: ACTIVE used as a noun is uncommon.

• ACTIVE (adjective)
  The adjective ACTIVE has 14 senses:

1. tending to become more severe or wider in scope

2. engaged in or ready for military or naval operations

3. disposed to take action or effectuate change

4. taking part in an activity

5. characterized by energetic activity

6. exerting influence or producing a change or effect

7. full of activity or engaged in continuous activity

8. in operation

9. (of the sun) characterized by an increased occurrence of sunspots and flares and radio emissions

10. expressing that the subject of the sentence has the semantic function of actor:

11. (used of verbs (e.g. 'to run') and participial adjectives (e.g. 'running' in 'running water')) expressing action rather than a state of being

12. (of e.g. volcanos) capable of erupting

13. (of e.g. volcanos) erupting or liable to erupt

14. engaged in full-time work

  Familiarity information: ACTIVE used as an adjective is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ACTIVE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Chemical agent capable of activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

active; active agent

Hypernyms ("active" is a kind of...):

chemical agent (an agent that produces chemical reactions)

Derivation:

active (exerting influence or producing a change or effect)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Synonyms:

active; active voice

Context example:

'The boy threw the ball' uses the active voice

Hypernyms ("active" is a kind of...):

voice ((linguistics) the grammatical relation (active or passive) of the grammatical subject of a verb to the action that the verb denotes)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A person who is a participating member of an organization

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

the club issues a list of members, both the actives and the retirees

Hypernyms ("active" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Derivation:

active (taking part in an activity)

active (disposed to take action or effectuate change)

• ACTIVE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Tending to become more severe or wider in scope

Context example:

active tuberculosis

Similar:

progressive (advancing in severity)

Domain category:

pathology (the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases)

Antonym:

inactive ((pathology) not progressing or increasing; or progressing slowly)

Derivation:

activeness (the state of being active)

activity (an organic process that takes place in the body)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Engaged in or ready for military or naval operations

Synonyms:

active; combat-ready; fighting

Context example:

review the fighting forces

Similar:

operational ((military) of or intended for or involved in military operations)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Derivation:

activeness; activity (the state of being active)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Disposed to take action or effectuate change

Context example:

he was active in drawing attention to their grievances

Similar:

activist; activistic (advocating or engaged in activism)

hands-on (involving active participation)

proactive ((of a policy or person or action) controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens)

Attribute:

activeness; activity (the trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically)

Antonym:

passive (lacking in energy or will)

Derivation:

active (a person who is a participating member of an organization)

activeness (the state of being active)

activity (the trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Taking part in an activity

Synonyms:

active; participating

Context example:

the participating organizations

Similar:

involved (connected by participation or association or use)

Derivation:

active (a person who is a participating member of an organization)

activeness (the state of being active)

activity (any specific behavior)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Characterized by energetic activity

Context example:

an active man is a man of action

Similar:

about; astir (on the move)

acrobatic; athletic; gymnastic (vigorously active)

agile; nimble; quick; spry (moving quickly and lightly)

hot (marked by excited activity)

hyperactive; overactive (more active than normal)

on the go ((of a person) very busy and active)

sporty (appropriate for sport or engagement in a sport)

Also:

lively (full of life and energy)

energetic (possessing or exerting or displaying energy)

Attribute:

activeness; activity (the trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically)

Antonym:

inactive (not active physically or mentally)

Derivation:

activeness; activity (the trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Exerting influence or producing a change or effect

Context example:

an active ingredient

Similar:

activated (rendered active; e.g. rendered radioactive or luminescent or photosensitive or conductive)

counteractive (opposing or neutralizing or mitigating an effect by contrary action)

surface-active (capable of lowering the surface tension of a liquid; used especially of detergents)

Antonym:

inactive (not exerting influence or change)

Derivation:

active (chemical agent capable of activity)

activeness (the state of being active)

activity ((chemistry) the capacity of a substance to take part in a chemical reaction)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Full of activity or engaged in continuous activity

Context example:

an active account

Similar:

brisk (very active)

bustling (full of energetic and noisy activity)

busy (crowded with or characterized by much activity)

going (in full operation)

open (ready for business)

springy ((of movements) light and confidently active)

Antonym:

inactive (lacking activity; lying idle or unused)

Derivation:

activity; activeness (the trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically)

Sense 8

Meaning:

In operation

Synonyms:

active; alive

Context example:

an active tradition

Similar:

existent; existing (having existence or being or actuality)

Derivation:

activeness (the state of being active)

activity (any specific behavior)

Sense 9

Meaning:

(of the sun) characterized by an increased occurrence of sunspots and flares and radio emissions

Domain category:

astronomy; uranology (the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole)

Antonym:

quiet ((of the sun) characterized by a low level of surface phenomena, such as sunspots)

Derivation:

activity (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))

activeness (the state of being active)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Expressing that the subject of the sentence has the semantic function of actor:

Context example:

Hemingway favors active constructions

Domain category:

grammar (the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics))

Antonym:

passive (expressing that the subject of the sentence is the patient of the action denoted by the verb)

Sense 11

Meaning:

(used of verbs (e.g. 'to run') and participial adjectives (e.g. 'running' in 'running water')) expressing action rather than a state of being

Synonyms:

active; dynamic

Domain category:

grammar (the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics))

Antonym:

stative ((used of verbs (e.g. 'be' or 'own') and most participial adjectives) expressing existence or a state rather than an action)

Sense 12

Meaning:

(of e.g. volcanos) capable of erupting

Similar:

alive; live (capable of erupting)

Also:

live (exerting force or containing energy)

Antonym:

extinct ((of e.g. volcanos) permanently inactive)

Sense 13

Meaning:

(of e.g. volcanos) erupting or liable to erupt

Context example:

active volcanos

Similar:

eruptive (actively spewing out lava)

Attribute:

action; activeness; activity (the state of being active)

Domain category:

vent; volcano (a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt)

Antonym:

dormant ((of e.g. volcanos) not erupting and not extinct)

Derivation:

activeness (the state of being active)

activity (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))

Sense 14

Meaning:

Engaged in full-time work

Context example:

though past retirement age he is still active in his profession

Similar:

activated ((military) set up and placed on active assignment)

Antonym:

inactive (not engaged in full-time work)

Derivation:

activeness; activity (the state of being active)

 Context examples 

If you are active in social media, your stars show you will attract followers easily, for your popularity will soar this year.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Active surveillance may be used to avoid or delay the need for treatments such as radiation therapy or surgery, which can cause side effects or other problems.

(Active surveillance, NCI Dictionary)

Ceaselessly active, head and hand, an intelligent machine, all that constituted him a man was devoted to furnishing that intelligence.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The pharmaceutically active components of a preparation.

(Active Ingredient, NCI Thesaurus)

Specifies whether the ingredient is biologically active.

(Active Ingredient Indicator, NCI Thesaurus)

There only remained the first mate, who was a bold and active man.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He did take an active interest in student athletics.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Two thirds of the proteins with an ADAM type metalloprotease domain also contain the zinc protease pattern which locates the active site of these proteases.

(ADAM Type Metalloprotease Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

He was not a popular man, being somewhat cold and forbidding in his manners, but he had, as far as I know, no active enemies.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I cannot see, hearing and feeling are leaving me, at this rate I shall soon cease to speak; yet all the time I shall be here, alive, active, and powerless.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)