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permissive

permissive

14 4.9
Not strict and giving a lot of freedom about what people do
  • adjective
  • /pərˈmɪsɪv/
  • Jargon
translation icon : permisivo
  • Many parents today adopt a permissive style of parenting, allowing their children to make their own choices.
  • permissive attitude
  • permissive parenting
  • permissive society

But then people go between loving and permissive or hostile and permissive.

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Examples

  • We asked the student-athletes to characterize their coach as a cooperative, command, or permissive leader.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Our educational system has become far too permissive.

  • All I can do is say some places are more permissive than others.

  • The chances of it being someone as permissive as me are pretty remote.

  • We've been too permissive with you, young man.

  • Increasingly, books on child-rearing have stressed the need for a permissive, liberal home environment.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The current idea is that the parents are excessively permissive, against the authoritarianism of old.

    Blog text (9)
  • Not teenagers: Sweden has very low rates of teenage pregnancy despite permissive attitudes about teenage sex.

    Academic text (1992)
  • We don't, we grandparent in the most permissive, indulgent way.

  • It has to do with regularity and a permissive attitude towards your subconscious.

Synonyms

easy
vspermissive
275 1.0

Not strict and allowing people more freedom

allows a lot more freedom and enforces rules less
lenient
vspermissive
32 4.4

Not strict about rules and punishment

allows wide freedom generally rather than only mercy in punishment
laxist
vspermissive
8.7

Not strict about following rules or standards

allows broad freedom in behavior not only attitudes toward rules

Antonyms

58 7.5

Expecting people to follow orders and allowing little freedom

52 4.7

Limits what people can do by rules or laws

Strict and not willing to allow exceptions

Compounds

9.9

A property loses value when a tenant fails to take care of it

How Permissive

permissive
  • Jargon
14 4.9
lax
31 4.6
lenient
32 4.4
tolerant
72 3.2

Surface Forms

permissive positive
permissiver comparative
permissivest superlative

Morphology

permissive = permit (transparent) = permit + ive

The suffix '-ive' forms an adjective indicating a tendency or capacity, clearly derived from 'permit'.

Etymology

Permissive comes from the same root as permit and permission, which come from a Latin verb meaning 'to allow'. So a permissive person or rule is one that often 'allows' a lot and is not strict.