permissive

UK: /pə^rˈmɪsɪv/ US: /pɚˈmɪsɪv/ ,(pər mis′iv)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

per•mis•sive /pɚˈmɪsɪv/   adj. 

1. too willing to allow or permit something, as social behavior, that others might disapprove of or forbid:
   permissive parents who allowed her to stay up late.
2. giving, expressing, or showing permission:
   a permissive nod.

per•mis•sive•ly, adv. 
per•mis•sive•ness, n. 

[uncountable] too much permissiveness in American society.

See -mis-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

per•mis•sive  (pər mis′iv), adj. 

1. habitually or characteristically accepting or tolerant of something, as social behavior or linguistic usage, that others might disapprove or forbid.
2. granting or denoting permission:
   a permissive nod.
3. optional.
4. Genetics (of a cell) permitting replication of a strand of DNA that could be lethal, as a viral segment or mutant gene.

• 1425–75; late Middle English; see permission, -ive; compare French permissif 

per•mis′sive•ly, adv. 
per•mis′sive•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. indulgent, lenient, lax.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

permissive / pəˈmɪsɪv/ adjective

1. tolerant; lenient: permissive parents
2. indulgent in matters of sex: a permissive society
3. granting permission

perˈmissively adverb

perˈmissiveness noun