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

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

Khodarkovsky’s Asian comparisons also fail to explain the particular degree of excess in the Russian political system.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Bugatti Destrier Bugatti Destrier If Monterey is about excess, the Bugatti Destrier may be the ultimate example.

— Josh Max, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of excess

Noun

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
The key to not looking too bundled up is to add a layer that offsets the casualness of the others.

— Christina Perrier, InStyle, 30 July 2026

Definition of casualness

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permissive

permissiveness

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“Permissiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permissiveness. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of permissiveness

noun

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