How to Use permissive in a Sentence

permissive

adjective
Definition of permissivenext
Synonyms for permissivenext
  • Some states have more permissive laws than others.
  • On the other hand, Group B was a much more permissive take.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 17 Oct. 2018
  • So, what drove the West’s permissive-for-their-times voting laws?
    — Jessica Flores, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2020
  • All of you are from states where there are fairly permissive gun laws.
    — CBS News, 22 Jan. 2023
  • Cruz's blockade was meant as a protest against Biden's permissive stance on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
    — Grayson Quay, The Week, 18 Dec. 2021
  • Counties can be stricter than their state tier, but not more permissive.
    — Nora Mishanec, SFChronicle.com, 22 Sep. 2020
  • In some places people are less permissive than their laws.
    — The Economist, 26 May 2018
  • And in some quarters of Wall Street, such as hedge funds, the code has typically been more permissive.
    — New York Times, 2 Aug. 2021
  • And other research shows that police are more likely to be killed in the line of duty in states with more permissive gun laws.
    — Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, 30 July 2019
  • Some countries in this group are more permissive than others.
    — New York Times, 22 Jan. 2022
  • The main cause of a child being spoiled is when a parent is too lenient or what’s called permissive parenting.
    — Denise Schipani, Parents, 3 Nov. 2023
  • Mississippi's gun laws are among the most permissive in the country.
    — Priya Krishnakumar, CNN, 28 Dec. 2021
  • Some say the companies have been too permissive with state media.
    — Elizabeth Dwoskin, Gerrit De Vynck, Taylor Telford, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Mar. 2022
  • The stability- and traction-control systems maintain order but can't be switched to a more permissive sport mode.
    — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 25 May 2023
  • At the same time, the state’s gun laws have become increasingly permissive.
    — Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 16 June 2022
  • Some counties, such as Orange County, will be as permissive on masks as the state allows.
    — Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023
  • In the rulings, the court’s Democrats take a more permissive view and Republicans a narrower one.
    — Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 7 Dec. 2021
  • Generally, the study linked permissive laws, like those in Utah, to more outbreaks.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 13 Oct. 2023
  • Even with permissive zoning laws, many entrepreneurs are still sorting out how to obtain a license from the state.
    — Kyle Stokes, Axios, 3 Sep. 2024
  • That’s more permissive than the laws of nearly every country in Europe.
    — Edward Whelan, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2021
  • Gab's permissive rules have attracted far-right figures like Richard Spencer and David Duke.
    — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 29 Oct. 2018
  • These rules are more permissive than those published just a few months earlier.
    — Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2020
  • Meanwhile, big cities such as Dallas and Houston, are in red states with largely permissive gun laws.
    — Politifact Staff Writer, Dallas News, 10 May 2023
  • As the culture of college sports has become more permissive to transfers, players who has not found a role by their third year often choose to move on.
    — Nathan Baird, cleveland, 30 Aug. 2022
  • The company has even added soft sand, drift, and rally submodes, which get much more permissive with the amount of slip allowed to each wheel when away from tarmac.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 6 July 2022
  • Arkansas has some of the most permissive gun laws in the United States and is struggling with an increase in gun violence.
    — New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022
  • The Senate has previously approved more permissive bills that died in the House.
    — Jeff Amy, ajc, 17 Feb. 2021
  • Shire books a majority of its sales in the U.S., where the long term industry outlook is brighter and pricing is more permissive.
    — Charley Grant, WSJ, 8 May 2018
  • As with many good concepts, internet trolls have twisted this phrase and labeled gentle parents as too permissive.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
  • The spike, which has raised international alarm, is often blamed on the permissive policies of Israel’s right-wing government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
    — Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'permissive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: