active vs operant

active

noun
  • A person or thing that is acting or capable of acting. 

  • Any component that is not passive. See Passivity (engineering). 

adj
  • Brisk; lively. 

  • Applied to a form of the verb; — opposed to passive. See active voice. 

  • Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive. 

  • (of a homosexual man) enjoying a role in anal sex in which he penetrates, rather than being penetrated by his partner. 

  • Requiring or implying action or exertion 

  • Not passive. 

  • Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative 

  • Eligible to be processed by a compiler or interpreter. 

  • Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives. 

  • Emitting hot materials, such as lava, smoke, or steam, or producing tremors. 

  • Implying or producing rapid action. 

  • Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy 

  • Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble. 

  • Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state. 

  • In action; actually proceeding; working; in force 

operant

noun
  • An operative person or thing. 

  • Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment. 

adj
  • That operates to produce an effect. 

How often have the words active and operant occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )