additive

1 of 2

adjective

ad·di·tive ˈa-də-tiv

Synonyms of additive next

: of, relating to, or characterized by addition

an additive process

: produced by addition

: 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

additively adverb

additivity

ˌa-də-ˈti-və-tē

noun

additive

2 of 2

noun

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

food additives

Example Sentences

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

For this reason, gotu kola may have additive effects with your diabetes medications, such as insulin (ex., Humalog) or metformin. —

Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 2 Mar. 2023 Because of such uncertainties, EFSA concluded that titanium dioxide could no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive. —

Sam Jones, Scientific American, 29 July 2022 The chip uses a new algorithm the team developed with Ken Duffy from Maynooth University: guessing random additive noise decoding (GRAND). —

IEEE Spectrum, 27 Jan. 2022 And bacteria in the soil, enriched with the common gardening additive biochar, also convert VOCs into less harmful products, such as sugars. —

Alex Chun, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 May 2023 And then some of these are additive materials, 3D printed. —

Norah O'donnell, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2023 In 2003, at the height of the thimerosal controversy, a bipartisan measure to update the law by offering immunity to vaccine additive manufacturers collapsed in Congress. —

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2023 Lastly, to estimate the size of the effect of COVID-19 on bond coupons, the AJC built a series of statistical models, increasing in complexity from a simple linear model, to general additive models (GAM), to mixed-effects GAMs, to mixed-effects GAMs with a large degree of freedom. —

Nick Thieme, ajc, 2 Dec. 2021 Remember, though, that risk is additive. —

Katia Hetter, CNN, 9 Dec. 2021

Noun

These capsules provide a convenient way to naturally boost your health and wellness without having to worry about any harsh chemicals or additives. —

Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2023 Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is a powerful detergent additive that eliminates 99.9% of bacteria in laundry water without having to use hot water or bleach. —

Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2023 Prior to the early 20th century, America had no regulation of medications or food additives. —

Thomas R. Insel, STAT, 12 Apr. 2023 What is Red Dye 3? Red Dye 3 is a color additive that used in thousands of products in the U.S. —

Wyatte Grantham-philips, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023 Bergeson said the regulation of chemicals is subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, but the FDA regulates only color additives and chemicals in sunscreen because those products make the medical claim of decreasing the risk of skin cancer. —

Michael Scaturro, oregonlive, 25 Feb. 2023 All products are formulated without harsh additives like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, dyes, and GMOs, and are packaged in 100 percent BPA-free plastic. —

Alicia Geigel, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2023 Some aerosol duster products already contain this type of additive, which has not been shown to have much impact on substance abuse. —

Aria Bendix, NBC News, 20 Apr. 2023 The additive, says Woldegiorgis, was meant to improve the shelf life of injera from three days to ten days. —

Julien Chongwang, Quartz Africa, 7 July 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'additive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

Noun

derivative of additive entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of additive was in 1648

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Additive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/additive. Accessed 27 May. 2023.

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Kids Definition

additive

1 of 2 adjective

ad·di·tive ˈad-ət-iv

: relating to or produced by addition

additively adverb

additive

2 of 2 noun

: a substance added to another in small amounts to give or improve desirable qualities or decrease unwanted qualities

a gasoline additive

additives which color, flavor, or preserve food

Medical Definition

additive

1 of 2 adjective

ad·di·tive ˈad-ət-iv

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

: 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

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

additively adverb

additivity

ˌad-ə-ˈtiv-ət-ē

noun

plural additivities

additive

2 of 2 noun

: 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