permissive

adjective per·mis·sive \ pər-ˈmi-siv \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of permissive

1 archaic : granted on sufferance : tolerated

2 a : 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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permissively

adverb

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permissiveness

noun

See permissive defined for English-language learners

See permissive defined for kids

Examples of permissive in a Sentence

Some states have more permissive laws than others.

Recent Examples of permissive from the Web

While American and European ventures must battle stringent municipal regulations, China is generally more permissive of innovation — especially when championed from the top.

— Time, "The Trouble with Sharing: China's Bike Fever Has Reached Saturation Point," 2 Apr. 2018
The other three proposals -- all filed in the House -- would be much more permissive of guns.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Allowing more guns in schools faces uphill battle in Louisiana Legislature," 27 Mar. 2018
Ducey, who had cleared the way for autonomous operations in Arizona via executive order, had been among the most ardent proponents of allowing companies to test within a permissive environment not stifled by regulations.

— pete bigelow, Car and Driver, "After Crash, Arizona Governor Suspends Uber Self-Driving-Vehicle Testing," 27 Mar. 2018
The Soviets, however, was much more permissive of American visitors, allowing them to visit most of the USSR.

— National Geographic, "Russians Were Once Banned From a Third of the U.S.," 26 Mar. 2018
That’s not because more people agree with more permissive gun laws.

— german lopez, Vox, "March for Our Lives in photos," 24 Mar. 2018
Just a few weeks before the deadly Uber accident, Arizona expanded its permissive stance toward autonomous vehicles.

— gabrielle coppola, Bloomberg.com, "Arizona Became Self-Driving Proving Ground Before Uber’s Deadly Crash," 20 Mar. 2018
In Facebook’s case, permissive data policies were also good for business.

— kevin roose, New York Times, "How Facebook’s Data Sharing Went From Feature to Bug," 19 Mar. 2018
Since 2015, the state's permissive laws have opened its roads to vehicles from Uber, Waymo, and others eager to exploit its sunny days and dry weather.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Uber Self-Driving Car Kills Pedestrian in Arizona," 19 Mar. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of permissive

Middle English permyssyf, from Middle French permissif, from Latin permissus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

PERMISSIVE Defined for English Language Learners

permissive

adjective

Definition of permissive for English Language Learners

: giving people a lot of freedom or too much freedom to do what they want to do

Medical Dictionary

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

Law Dictionary

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