Active

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body;
        nimble; as, an active child or animal.
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              Active and nervous was his gait.      --Wordsworth.
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     3. In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; --
        opposed to {quiescent}, {dormant}, or {extinct}; as,
        active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. Requiring or implying action or exertion; -- opposed to
        {sedentary} or to {tranquil}; as, active employment or
        service; active scenes.
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     6. Given to action rather than contemplation; practical;
        operative; -- opposed to {speculative} or {theoretical};
        as, an active rather than a speculative statesman.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn.
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     8. Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease;
        an active remedy.
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     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.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     {Active capital}, {Active wealth}, money, or property that
        may readily be converted into money.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Agile; alert; brisk; vigorous; nimble; lively; quick;
          sprightly; prompt; energetic.
          [1913 Webster]

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}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  157 Moby Thesaurus words for "active":
     acting, active voice, activist, activistic, acute, aggressive,
     agile, alert, alive, animated, assiduous, at work, bouncing,
     bouncy, breezy, brisk, bubbly, bustling, busy, catty, chipper,
     compliant, conforming, conscientious, constant, devoted, devout,
     diligent, driving, duteous, dutiful, dynamic, ebullient, effective,
     effectual, effervescent, efficacious, efficient, energetic,
     enterprising, enthusiastic, expeditious, faithful, flexible,
     forceful, forcible, frisky, full, full of go, full of life,
     full of pep, functional, functioning, go-go, going, going on,
     graceful, hearty, hyperactive, impelling, impetuous, in exercise,
     in force, in hand, in motion, in operation, in play, in practice,
     in process, in the works, inaction, incisive, industrious,
     influential, intense, keen, kinetic, live, lively, living, loyal,
     lusty, medio-passive, mercurial, meticulous, mettlesome, middle,
     middle voice, militant, mindful, mobile, motile, motivational,
     motive, motor, moving, nimble, observant, occupied, on foot,
     on the fire, on the go, on the move, ongoing, operating,
     operational, operative, passive, passive voice, peppy, perky, pert,
     physical, potent, powerful, practicing, prompt, propellant,
     propelling, punctilious, punctual, quick, quicksilver, ready,
     reflexive, regardful, robust, running, rushing, scrupulous,
     smacking, snappy, spanking, spirited, sprightly, spry, stirring,
     strenuous, strong, supple, take-charge, take-over, transitional,
     traveling, trenchant, true, vibrant, vigorous, vivacious, vivid,
     voice, wide-awake, working, zestful, zesty, zingy, zippy
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  ACTIVE. The opposite, of passive. We say active debts, or debts due to us;
  passive debts are those we owe.