Word Direct Answers

What does "active" mean?

Active: Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble; as, an active child or animal. Active and nervous was his gait. Wordsworth.

Additional senses

  1. 2.In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; -- opposed to quiescent, dormant, or extinct; as, active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano.
  2. 3.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.
  3. 4.Requiring or implying action or exertion; -- opposed to Ant: sedentary or to Ant: tranquil; as, active employment or service; active scenes.
  4. 5.Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative; - - opposed to Ant: speculative or Ant: theoretical; as, an active rather than a speculative statesman.
  5. 6.Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn.
  6. 7.Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease; an active remedy.
  7. 8.(Gram.) (a) Applied to a form of the verb; -- opposed to Ant: 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.

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