active

Meanings

1. Full of energy and involved in doing things regularly.
2. Working or in use.
3. In grammar, describing a verb form in which the subject performs the action.

Example sentences

• "My grandfather stays active by gardening every day."

  Level A1, Meaning 1

• "The volcano is still active."

  Level A2, Meaning 2

• "She is an active member of the chess club."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

• "I prefer an active holiday to lying on a beach."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• energetic : Energetic means full of energy at this moment. Active often describes a habit or way of life.
• busy : Busy means having a lot to do. Active means doing things, often for fun or health.

Word family and forms

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "active".

• an active life
• stay active
• an active volcano
• active member
• play an active role
• physically active

Origin

Active comes from Latin activus, from agere, to do, and it reached English in the 1300s through Old French actif. It is built from the same root as act, action and actor, and it means able to do or doing.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Active has act at the start. An active person is someone who acts, not someone who waits.

Test yourself

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