permissive UK /pəˈmɪsɪv/US /pəɹˈmɪsɪv/adjective 3noun 1forms 3 adjective3 •willing to let people behave as they want instead of setting strict rules, often in a way that others think is too freeFor neither Man nor Angel can discern / Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks / Invisible, except to God alone, / By his permissive will, through Heaven and Earth — 1667 •open for the public to use because the owner of the land allows it, although no law makes the owner do thisMany permissive paths work well and have done for a significant amount of time, enhancing or connecting our network of public footpaths, byways and bridleways, however unevenly distributed. — 2026 •That allows the replication of viruses. noun1 •A grammatical form indicating that an action is permitted by the speaker. formspermissives · more permissive · most permissive
