permissive

adjective

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per·mis·sive | \ pər-ˈmi-siv

Definition of permissive

1 archaic : granted on sufferance : tolerated

2a : granting or tending to grant permission : tolerant

b : deficient in firmness or control : indulgent, lax

3 : allowing discretion : optional reduced the permissive retirement age from 65 to 62

4 : supporting growth or genetic replication (as of a virus) permissive host cells

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Examples of permissive in a Sentence

Some states have more permissive laws than others.

Recent Examples on the Web Name calling, rude behavior was suddenly far more permissive, gradually creating an online environment that grew increasingly toxic. — Jenn Mckee, Good Housekeeping, 3 June 2022 Gendron lived right over the state border from Pennsylvania where gun laws are more permissive. — Peter Nickeas, Casey Tolan And Virginia Langmaid, CNN, 17 May 2022 This provided a permissive environment in which the Fed could aggressively stimulate the economy without fear that any resultant spike in demand would create a destabilizing inflation dynamic. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, 23 May 2022 But with permissive Treasury Department rules governing how the pandemic money can be spent, state and local governments face few limitations. — Brian Slodysko, sun-sentinel.com, 25 Mar. 2022 But with permissive Treasury Department rules governing how the pandemic money can be spent, state and local governments face few limitations. — Brian Slodysko, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Mar. 2022 In the years that followed, Waltz voted in favor of more permissive gambling laws, including allowing slot machines at horse tracks in 2007 and allowing table games with live dealers at the tracks in 2015. — Tony Cook, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2022 The federal rules were so permissive that the state’s draft maps included the campus of Stanford as an Opportunity Zone. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2022 Arkansas has some of the most permissive gun laws in the United States and is struggling with an increase in gun violence. — New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'permissive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near permissive

permission

permissive

permissive blocking

Statistics for permissive

Last Updated

20 Jun 2022

Cite this Entry

“Permissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permissive. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

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More Definitions for permissive

permissive

adjective

per·mis·sive | \ pər-ˈmis-iv

Medical Definition of permissive

: supporting growth or genetic replication (as of a virus) permissive temperatures permissive monkey cells

permissive

adjective

per·mis·sive

Legal Definition of permissive

1 : based on or having permission permissive occupancy a permissive user of the vehicle

2 : granting permission or discretion (as to the court) a permissive statute

3 : not compulsory: as

a : allowed or made under a standard, rule, or provision that permits discretion or an option — see also permissive intervention at intervention, permissive presumption at presumption — compare compulsory

b : allowed under modern rules of civil procedure although not arising from the same transaction or occurrence as the one at issue in the original claim a permissive counterclaim — see also permissive joinder at joinder