permissiveness

noun

as in licentiousness

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of permissiveness 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 Leaders should keep in mind that generosity is not the same thing as permissiveness—generosity needs structure. — Cherian Koshy, Forbes.com, 20 Feb. 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
  1. licentiousness
  2. excessiveness
  3. wildness
  4. indulgence
  5. intemperance
  6. excess
  7. casualness
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
  • This excessiveness can hinder critical knowledge building because of the sheer amount of information that can be accessed simultaneously at any time.
    — Carmen Daniela Maier, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Definition of excessiveness
Noun
  • The Braves scored in the seventh without a hit, taking advantage of Jefry Yan's wildness.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The Twins then capitalized on Robert Gasser’s wildness to score three runs in the second.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of wildness
Noun
  • The club’s spa treatments are an indulgence for body and mind.
    — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Sunset Soft Serve Rita combines a strawberry and mango margarita with vanilla soft-serve ice cream, a bold Tajín® rim, rich chamoy drizzle, and a crunchy hot honey Tajín® topping for the perfect balance of sweet-heat indulgence.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 6 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 spectacle, scale and wonderfully unapologetic excess are precisely why millions keep returning.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Is there still unfinished business in rationalizing the excesses of the semiconductor surge, which formed the core of the momentum-stock frenzy?
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of excess
Noun
  • 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
  • Now my mother and I sometimes talk about Hương; never directly, but with a casualness that, too, seems like a gift.
    — Thao Thai, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
Definition of casualness

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permissive
permissiveness
permit
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Cite this Entry

“Permissiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permissiveness. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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