permissive

per·mis·sive

Use permissive in a sentence

Some parents believe that it is too permissive to allow a child under five years old to have a cell phone.

Some parents believe that it is too permissive to allow a child under five years old to have a cell phone.

adjective

The definition of permissive is tolerant of something, often something of which others would disapprove.

An example of permissive is a parent who allows her child to have a cell phone at the age of four.

permissive

giving permission; that permits
allowing freedom; esp., tolerant of behavior or practices generally disapproved of by others; indulgent; lenient
Archaic allowable and at one's option

Origin of permissive

Middle English from Middle French permissif from Medieval Latin permissivus from past participle of Classical Latin permittere

permissive

adjective

a. Granting or inclined to grant permission; tolerant or lenient: permissive parents.
b. Characterized by freedom of personal behavior or a disregard of traditional social mores.
Permitted or optional: permissive uses of funds.
Biology Supporting viral replication. Used of a cell.

Related Forms:

per·mis′sive·ly
adverb

per·mis′sive·ness
noun

permissive

Adjective

(comparative more permissive, superlative most permissive)

Giving, or predisposed to give permission; lenient.

SentencesSentence examples

Sentence Examples

Dispensations for married priests in his dominions; and his successor Ferdinand, with the equally Catholic sovereigns of France, Bavaria and Poland, pleaded strongly at the council of Trent (1545) for permissive marriage.
Accepting the law he distinguishes productive from permissive or transmissive function (p. 32), and, rejecting the view that brain produces thought, he recognizes that in our present condition brain transmits thought, thought needs brain for its organ of expression; but this does not exclude the possibility of a condition in which thought will be no longer so dependent on brain.
4 In 1 9 10 the question of the "permissive use of vestments," in connexion with that of the revision of the Prayer Book generally, was still under discussion in the convocations of the two provinces.
But generally speaking this dualism is permissive, inasmuch as it is always held that God will triumph over Satan in His own time.
During the interval between Shepstone's arrival in the country and the annexation the Volksraad had rejected the proposals for confederation laid before them in accordance with Lord Carnarvon's permissive bill, and had made no real attempt at reform.

Also Mentioned In

Words near permissive in the dictionary