- (a.) 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.
- (a.) Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble; as, an active child or animal.
- (a.) In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; -- opposed to quiescent, dormant or extinct; as, active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano.
- (a.) 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.
- (a.) Requiring or implying action or exertion; -- opposed to sedentary or to tranquil; as, active employment or service; active scenes.
- (a.) Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative; -- opposed to speculative or theoretical; as, an active rather than a speculative statesman.
- (a.) Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn.
- (a.) Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease; an active remedy.
- Applied to a form of the verb; -- opposed to passive. See Active voice, under Voice.
- (a.) Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive.
- (a.) Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). active. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/active/definitions/1970699 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "active" http://smartdefine.org/active/definitions/1970699 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, active, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/active/definitions/1970699>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "active" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/active/definitions/1970699> |