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engaged in ; characterized by energetic work, partic-p-tion, etc.; busy:
an active life.
being in a state of existence, progress, or motion:
active hostilities.
involving physical effort and :
active sports.
having the power of quick motion; nimble:
active as a gazelle.
characterized by , motion, volume, use, partic-p-tion, etc.:
an active market in wheat; an active list of subscribers.
causing or change; capable of exerting influence (opposed to ):
active treason.
effective (opposed to ):
active ingredients.
grammar. noting or pertaining to a voice of verbal inflection in which typically the subject of the sentence is represented as performing the expressed by the verb (opposed to ): writes in he writes a letter every day is an active verb form.
requiring or giving rise to ; practical:
an active course.
(of a volcano) in eruption.
accounting. profitable; busy:
active accounts.
requiring personal effort or attention; not automatic:
an active alarm system.
interest-bearing:
active paper.
medicine/medical. acting quickly; producing immediate effects:
active remedies.
sociology. (of a crowd) engaging in purposeful , often of a militant nature.
compare (def 4).
aerosp-ce. able to transmit signals:
an active communications satellite.
electronics. (of a device or system) acting as a source of electrical energy, as a generator, or capable of amplifying or converting voltages or currents, as a transistor or diode.
(of a solar heating system) acc-mulating and distributing solar heat by mechanical means.
military. serving on .
grammar.

the active voice.
a form or construction in the active voice.

an active person, member, subscriber, etc.:
the circular was mailed only to the actives on our list.
informal. something showing considerable action or activity:
on the stock market there was heavy trading in the actives.
contemporary examples

i actively shun a life of half-lived mediocrity on all sides.
why i choose to be child-free: readers share their stories harry siegel february 26, 2013

she has no shortage of character witnesses who actively dislike and distrust her.
the wingnuts’ new queen john avlon september 14, 2010

while ayla is playing college basketball, ncaa regulations forbid her from actively promoting herself or any of her endeavors.
scott brown’s second job richard rushfield january 23, 2010

even if she actively wants him, how easy is it to enforce safe s-x?
bedding the boss tracy quan october 4, 2009

plus, i have to admit that i like knowing there are people who actively despise me.
dear twitter haters: i, eli, love your p-ssion eli lake may 13, 2013

historical examples

from that time to his death he actively busied himself with the affairs of his country.
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 10, slice 6 various

he knew that the time had come when he must actively seek to help her.
the night riders ridgwell cullum

we feed their strength, and give them favoured chances, if we go out and face them actively, “marching as to war.”
my daily meditation for the circling year john henry jowett

chebron and amuba joined in the search as actively as the rest.
the cat of bubastes g. a. henty

she took care to have his desires gratified while she actively and sagaciously used his power in opposition to the truth of g-d.
elijah the tishbite c. (charles) h. (henry) mackintosh

adjective
in a state of action; moving, working, or doing something
busy or involved: an active life
physically energetic
exerting influence; effective: an active ingredient
(grammar)

denoting a voice of verbs used to indicate that the subject of a sentence is performing the action or causing the event or process described by the verb, as kicked in the boy kicked the football compare p-ssive (sense 5)
another word for nonstative

being fully engaged in military service (esp in the phrase on active service)
(of a volcano) erupting periodically; not extinct compare dormant (sense 3), extinct (sense 3)
(astronomy) (of the sun) exhibiting a large number of sunspots, solar flares, etc, and a marked variation in intensity and frequency of radio emission compare quiet (sense 8)
(commerce)

producing or being used to produce profit, esp in the form of interest: active balances
of or denoting stocks or shares that have been actively bought and sold as recorded in the official list of the london stock exchange

(electronics)

containing a source of power: an active network
capable of amplifying a signal or controlling some function: an active component, an active communication satellite

noun
(grammar)

the active voice
an active verb

(mainly us) a member of an organization who partic-p-tes in its activities
adv.

c.1400, “secularly,” from active + -ly (2). meaning “vigorously” is early 15c.
adj.

mid-14c., “given to worldly activity” (opposed to contemplative or monastic), from old french actif (12c.) or directly from latin activus, from actus (see act (n.)). as “capable of acting” (opposed to p-ssive), from late 14c. meaning “energetic, lively” is from 1590s; that of “working, effective, in operation” is from 1640s. active voice is recorded from 1765 (grammatical use of active dates from mid-15c.).
advanced controls technology for integrated vehicles