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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of permissive
Facebook, Instagram dump fact-checkers citing election as 'cultural tipping point'
The policy shift will make the platform more generally permissive toward user posts, especially on some controversial subjects such as immigration and gender, the company said.
—
Max Zahn, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025
Polls show voters have soured considerably on permissive criminal justice reform and open borders.
—Sarah Bedford, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Sep. 2024
The Biden administration has been pretty permissive in terms of gas and oil production.
—Peter Bergen, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
If Alito’s view prevails, that would be a catastrophe for free speech, as virtually all laws survive this very permissive test.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for permissive 
Max Zahn, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025
Polls show voters have soured considerably on permissive criminal justice reform and open borders.
—Sarah Bedford, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Sep. 2024
The Biden administration has been pretty permissive in terms of gas and oil production.
—Peter Bergen, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
If Alito’s view prevails, that would be a catastrophe for free speech, as virtually all laws survive this very permissive test.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for permissive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permissive
Adjective
-
What’s needed now are more flexible funding schemes and opportunities that will allow Latvian productions to be competitive on the global market.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Be flexible If your child’s birthday falls on a holiday, flexibility is key.—
​Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Her informal show-and-tell presentation came at a time when Super Bowl tickets had ballooned past $100 per seat.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Zoom in: The question of whether to form a formal Jewish Caucus has been a point of contention for years among Jewish lawmakers, who have often met as an informal Jewish members' working group.—
Andrew Solender,
Axios,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Too often, startups take a very lenient approach to defining addressable markets, which signals to investors the lack of understanding of the market on the part of the management team.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
18 Dec. 2024
-
The case has long been viewed as a cautionary tale about government overreach in the digital asset space, with the severity of Ulbricht's original sentence standing in stark contrast to the more lenient treatment of other defendants highlighted in Senator Paul's letter.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
That was the next step; Obsidian wanted to follow in the footsteps of Bethesda, who’d reinvented the Fallout franchise by turning it from a more rigid, hardcore experience into something more accessible with an immersive first-person POV.—
Hayes Madsen,
Rolling Stone,
14 Feb. 2025
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In comparison to the Super Bowl, where such ads cost around $8 million, the Daytona 500 offers a more accessible yet high-profile advertising opportunity.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
So it might have been predicted that some who made it through that lax gauntlet were going to get in trouble again.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
-
But having more lax exceptions was the most popular option among respondents.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Heat makes muscles more pliable, which reduces the risk of muscle injuries.—
Jordan Campbell,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Then use a softer, more pliable brush for blending.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near permissive
Cite this Entry
“Permissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permissive. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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