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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of permissive
The court also emphasized that even under this more permissive standard, laws still have to be reasonable.
—
Meg Leta Jones, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
The San Diego City Council and Mayor Todd Gloria recently agreed to roll back the city’s permissive ordinance on accessory dwelling units.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
There’s a permissive balance with these two that works as collaborators and friends.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 12 June 2025
Trump’s aggressive acts were red meat for those who view California as the fountainhead of permissive behavior.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for permissive
Meg Leta Jones, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
The San Diego City Council and Mayor Todd Gloria recently agreed to roll back the city’s permissive ordinance on accessory dwelling units.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
There’s a permissive balance with these two that works as collaborators and friends.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 12 June 2025
Trump’s aggressive acts were red meat for those who view California as the fountainhead of permissive behavior.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for permissive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permissive
Adjective
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They are entitled to health, dental, vision, life and long-term care insurance, along with retirement plans and flexible spending accounts.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
-
Paramount+ offers two flexible plans to fit your streaming needs.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Within the outcome document, the drafters champion several strategies to expand domestic tax bases, such as integrating the informal sector into the formal economy and identifying undeclared income and wealth.—
Nana Ama Sarfo,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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Whether for a casual outing, an afternoon of shopping, or even an informal dinner, this combination has the power to transform a simple look into a fashion statement.—
René Chávez Esparza,
Glamour,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Even if local laws are lenient about when you are allowed to operate a leaf blower, timing is key to good leaf blower etiquette.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 July 2025
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Conservative lawmakers have often accused progressive district attorneys and magistrate judges in Texas' largest metro areas of being too lenient with pretrial release.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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This feature in Gmail will be accessible in the navigation drawer, a UI feature that is increasingly rare in Google's apps but is essential to managing inboxes and labels in Gmail.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 July 2025
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This ability opens up several potential use cases, from dynamically prioritizing orders based on shipping deadlines, inventory levels and resource availability to automating the allocation of storage locations based on product demand to ensure high-traffic items are easily accessible.—
Prashanth Cecil,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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When boundaries become too lax, our health often suffers—something Black women, in particular, can’t afford.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 June 2025
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The co-op allows pieds-à-terre and is pretty lax with subletting, which is permitted after two years of ownership.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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At an indie level, merengue also proved pliable, merging with metal and industrial riffs in psychedelic epics from Gallo Lester and Mediopicky, and providing a sinewy canvas for the poetic soul-searching of Rita Indiana and Xiomara Fortuna.—
Richard Villegas,
Rolling Stone,
7 July 2025
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Toast the chiles in a dry pan over medium-high heat, flipping once, until lightly blistered and fragrant but still pliable, a minute or so.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Permissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permissive. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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