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⇱ permissiveness - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

permissiveness

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/pəˈmɪsɪvnɪs/


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
per•mis•sive /pɚˈmɪsɪv/USA pronunciation   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),USA pronunciation 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. 
    1. indulgent, lenient, lax.

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