PERMISSIVENESS Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

permissiveness

noun

as in licentiousness

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Recent Examples of permissiveness The permissiveness changes the practical universe of what can be submitted; the demands determine who can submit. — David Talby, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Perhaps because of the filming frenzy in the concourse, or the transgressive aim of the competition, an air of permissiveness presided. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 Denny Jong — began making derogatory comments around the office, fostering a culture of permissiveness that allowed similar remarks to go unchecked. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 Kalshi’s new product tests the limits of the CFTC’s permissiveness while the agency actively defends its ability to oversee prediction markets in court. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 9 July 2026 Biden surpassed Ronald Reagan in permissiveness for refugees’ suffering. — Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026 Some of this unprecedented editorial permissiveness can be attributed to the disappearance of a stable moral consensus to bind the ruling class to its subjects, who have come to develop the conviction that the Establishment has nothing good to say for itself. — Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 The suggestion, in other words, is that the chatbot should err on the side of permissiveness in response to user prompts for erotic material. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026 What then to make of Netflix’s permissiveness toward the theatrical experience this awards season? — Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for permissiveness

Noun

This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year in our great nation and especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once-wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year, especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026

Definition of licentiousness

Noun

Trevor Rogers pitched into the eighth inning, Coby Mayo homered twice and the Baltimore Orioles took advantage of Cleveland's wildness on the mound, beating the Guardians 6-4 on Monday to snap a six-game losing streak.

— CBS News, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026
After that, Cantillo handed the Angels two runs with his wildness.

— Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of wildness

Noun

Adding this biotin supplement to cart will also put you just a dollar away from iHerb’s free shipping threshold, as all orders over $25 qualify for this indulgence.

— Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
Written and rendered by dudes who longed for unlimited success, these are songs about cheating and being cheated on and trying but failing to be content, or love as lived amid capitalist indulgence.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of indulgence

Noun

Rather, the term has come to stand for a range of attributes—intemperance, ordinariness, outsiderness, likability, spontaneity—that aren’t especially related philosophically, either to authenticity or to one another.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 June 2026
The power to issue absolute pardons, explicitly stipulated in the founding document, has been exploited with bipartisan intemperance.

— Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Definition of intemperance

Noun

The whole thing was essentially an American Cadillac crossed with an Italian coachbuilt exotic, at a time when Detroit was already going completely bonkers with automotive excess.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026
Ancient critics could never quite agree on the direction of causality between Euripides’ formal excesses and the political decay of Athens around him — and Lichtenberg thinks that same ambiguity now surrounds AI.

— Aris Alexander, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of excess

Noun

The painting’s joyful casualness belies its subject matter, clues to which can be found in the coyote on one of the men’s shirts and in the work’s title, Uncle’s Crossing (2022).

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
For most, though, the dress is business casual, matching the growing casualness of their behavior in the box over the course of long sessions.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of casualness

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“Permissiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permissiveness. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of permissiveness

noun

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