additive

adjective

ad·di·tive | \ ˈa-də-tiv

Definition of additive

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or characterized by addition an additive process

2 : produced by addition

3 : characterized by, being, or producing effects (such as drug responses or gene products) that when the causative factors act together are the sum of their individual effects

additive

noun

Definition of additive (Entry 2 of 2)

: a substance added to another in relatively small amounts to effect a desired change in properties food additives

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Examples of additive in a Sentence

Adjective

certain drugs have additive effects when taken in conjunction with each other that one doesn't see when any one is used alone

Noun

a gasoline additive to reduce pollution

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

But the risk is that this combination of exacting precision and stark moralism can be subtractive rather than additive. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign and policy positions, explained," 26 June 2019 Still, Comley believes that capturing performances for later viewing is additive to the business and will become standard procedure in the marketing toolkit for a show, just like the audio cast recording of a musical. — Edward Baig, USA TODAY, "Can't make it to the theater? BroadwayHD.com lets you stream Broadway instead," 6 June 2019 To be a group, those additive relationships have to satisfy certain axioms. — Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, "New Number Systems Seek Their Lost Primes," 2 Mar. 2017 One involves the use of 3D printing—an additive process involving plastic threads. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "3D-printed (and CNC-milled) guns: Nine questions you were too afraid to ask," 5 Aug. 2018 Perhaps the bass guitar throbs from your right side, the synth from the left, and the kick drum is an additive force on both sides. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Razer HyperSense's vision for haptic-filled PC gaming shakes up the future of peripherals," 10 Jan. 2019 Some of these offices are additive in existing locations. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "Apple will spend $1 billion and hire up to 15,000 people for new Austin office," 13 Dec. 2018 As for consumers who still subscribe to traditional cable and for whom these streaming services are just additive, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it: the monthly fees are mounting. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "HBO, CNN, DC Comics, and more could join a streaming video service under AT&T," 10 Oct. 2018 For two reasons: first, many companies are slow to adopt additive due to resistance from veteran engineers and designers who don’t want to learn a new manufacturing approach all over again. — Pam Baker, Ars Technica, "Artificial Intelligence and the coming of the self-designing machine," 6 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

All foams are the result of air being beaten into a liquid formula that contains some kind of surfactant (active surface agent), usually fats or proteins in edible foams, or chemical additives in non-edible products. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Two new papers explore the complicated physics behind bubbles and foams," 19 June 2019 The Laundress, an eco-friendly line of detergent and home-cleaning products, formulates without ammonia, petroleum, phthalates, phosphates, parabens, formaldehyde, artificial dyes, and chlorine bleach, as well as any other unnecessary additives. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "How to Tell If Your Laundry Detergent Is Messing With Your Skin," 15 June 2019 During competition day, they are given five hours to complete their structures, which must be made only of sand and water, with no other materials or additives allowed. — Houston Chronicle, "AIA Sandcastle Competition brings works of art to East Beach," 14 June 2019 Plastics often contain additives making them stronger, more flexible, and durable. — Laura Parker, National Geographic, "The world's plastic pollution crisis explained," 12 June 2019 The guidance also outlines the agency's plans to examine the ingredients and additives in vaping products, how they are packaged and labeled, and how these devices are designed and made. — Michael Nedelman, CNN, "FDA gives vaping companies a clearer path for marketing their products," 11 June 2019 They’re pumped with chemicals and other additives for color, flavor, texture, and shelf life. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "Highly processed foods look more and more unhealthy. The reason why may be hiding in our guts.," 11 June 2019 Sometimes there are other additives like Viagra, THC, or pain-killer compounds. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, sun-sentinel.com, "Buyer beware: CBD products could be this century’s snake oil," 7 June 2019 Use distilled water whenever possible — regular tap water contains additives such as chlorine which are hard for the plants to process. — Lyndsey Matthews, Good Housekeeping, "How to Make a Carnivorous Bog Planter," 9 May 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'additive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for additive

Adjective

borrowed from Late Latin additīvus, from Latin additus (past participle of addere "to add") + -īvus -ive

Noun

derivative of additive entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near additive

additive manufacturing

Statistics for additive

Last Updated

4 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for additive

The first known use of additive was in 1648

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More Definitions for additive

additive

noun

English Language Learners Definition of additive

: something (such as a chemical) that is added in small amounts to a substance to improve it in some way

See the full definition for additive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

additive

noun

ad·di·tive | \ ˈa-də-tiv

Kids Definition of additive

: a substance added to another in small amounts The gasoline additive improves engine performance.

additive

adjective

ad·di·tive | \ ˈad-ət-iv

Medical Definition of additive

(Entry 1 of 2)

: having or relating to a value or effect that is the sum of individual values or effects: as

a : relating to the sum of the pharmacological responses produced by the concurrent administration of two or more drugs capable of producing the same kind of effect

b : having a genetic effect that is the sum of the individual effects

Other Words from additive

additively adverb

additivity \ ˌad-ə-ˈtiv-ət-ē

\ noun, plural additivities

additive

noun

Medical Definition of additive (Entry 2 of 2)

: a substance added to another in relatively small amounts to effect a desired change in properties especially : an agent added to a foodstuff to improve color, flavor, texture, or keeping qualities