as in flexible
often disapproving
giving people a lot of freedom or too much freedom to do what they want to do
permissive parents Some states have more permissive laws than others.
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Recent Examples of permissive
Grok seems to be unique among major chatbots in its permissive stance and apparent holes in safeguards.
—
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Just a week later, Maxwell was moved to a more permissive prison camp in Texas.
—NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
The first revelation was apparently fine, but her mom blamed those darned permissive Jesuits at Holy Cross for the second.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 13 Dec. 2025
Sinan Ciddi, a Turkey expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Ankara’s political protection of Hamas — paired with its hostility toward Israeli military actions — has created a permissive sanctuary that Israeli pressure alone cannot shut down.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for permissive
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
Just a week later, Maxwell was moved to a more permissive prison camp in Texas.
—NBC news, 21 Dec. 2025
The first revelation was apparently fine, but her mom blamed those darned permissive Jesuits at Holy Cross for the second.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 13 Dec. 2025
Sinan Ciddi, a Turkey expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Ankara’s political protection of Hamas — paired with its hostility toward Israeli military actions — has created a permissive sanctuary that Israeli pressure alone cannot shut down.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for permissive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permissive
Adjective
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The researchers also observed superconductivity in flexible films made from niobium carbide nanoscrolls.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
-
More companies are dialing back flexible work schedules and mandating that employees return to the office part-time or full-time, forcing women into tough situations.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Nearly two dozen European football association heads held informal talks in Budapest last week to discuss their participation in the World Cup.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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But they were still politically left behind, among the millions of informal squatters who lived in Manila without owning any of it.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Cramer argued that quarterly earnings from General Motors showed how the White House's more lenient stance on environmental regulation benefits the automaker.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
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Other cases have ended in lenient plea deals and case dismissals.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Instead of opening in a separate tab, the assistant now lives in a side panel that stays accessible across all tabs.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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The fraudsters, those administrators say, are taking advantage of a vulnerability created by the degree to which these schools are accessible to students.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That seems doubtful, particularly given its lax enforcement of that policy to date.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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The White House has blamed Democrats, and the Biden administration, for the shooting deaths, citing lax immigration policies.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Permissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permissive. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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