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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Recent Examples of permissive
But others look to further loosen already permissive policies.
—
Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
Kansas has its own slate of permissive gun laws.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
The explosive growth and permissive regulatory environment has ignited a debate about the underbelly of an industry that essentially turns many features of modern life into potential monetary wins and losses.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 Jan. 2026
But in this case, Woodbridge residents balked so loudly that the local zoning commission this month hurriedly rolled back its new, more permissive rules for multifamily residential complexes.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for permissive
Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
Kansas has its own slate of permissive gun laws.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
The explosive growth and permissive regulatory environment has ignited a debate about the underbelly of an industry that essentially turns many features of modern life into potential monetary wins and losses.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 Jan. 2026
But in this case, Woodbridge residents balked so loudly that the local zoning commission this month hurriedly rolled back its new, more permissive rules for multifamily residential complexes.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for permissive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for permissive
Adjective
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Experts believe the crown’s flexible mount was strained when thieves wrenched it from its display through a narrow slot cut by the angle grinder, according to a report by the Louvre.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The passenger version supports flexible layouts.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Anyone who survived the informal audition went on to meet judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
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Unlike the specialized literary magazine and its informal cousin, the literary blog, the general-interest newspaper has a kind of noble rapacity, an encyclopedic ambition to wrap its arms around the whole of the world.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Epstein’s lenient plea deal with federal prosecutors was the subject of the Miami Herald’s 2018 ‘Perversion of Justice’ series.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
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As mentioned above, though, warm minimalism is more lenient in this regard, and welcomes the incorporation of personal items that are special or tell a story.—
Erica Puisis,
The Spruce,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That declaration puts political clout behind the status quo, where public land remains accessible to those who can buy control of key parcels and hire fancy attorneys.—
Karlee Provenza,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
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Give them a home with a rotating tray, which will make your collection less chaotic and more accessible.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Coppola, the head-of-table colossus, was fearless and senseless, a beautiful wreck, as lax with details as he was committed to art.—
Michael O’Donnell,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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The corpse abuse revelations spurred changes to Colorado’s lax funeral home regulations.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Permissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/permissive. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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