Meaning

Giving permission, or predisposed to give it; lenient..

Definitions by Sense

1. Giving permission, or predisposed to give it; lenient.
2. (of a footpath, bridleway or similar) Open to the public by permission of the landowner.
3. (biology) That allows the replication of viruses.
4. (grammar) A grammatical form indicating that an action is permitted by the speaker.

Example Sentences

For neither Man nor Angel can discern / Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks / Invisible, except to God alone, / By his permissive will, through Heaven and Earth;

"Permissive" working allows more than one train to be in a block section at one time but trains must be run at low speed in order to stop on sight behind the train in front. Such working is often authorised to allow freight trains to "bunch" together to await a path through a bottleneck instead of being strung out over several block sections, as would be necessary if absolute working were in force.

More to the point: 20 years ago, I did not perceive a political dimension to parenting. Some parents were too strict, some parents were too permissive and some parents were just right — and I saw no connection between parenting style and parental politics.

Many permissive paths work well and have done for a significant amount of time, enhancing or connecting our network of public footpaths, byways and bridleways, however unevenly distributed.

Word Forms

• more permissive
• most permissive
• permissives

Synonyms for permissive

Antonyms for permissive

Related Words

When Should You Use Permissive?

Use permissive when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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