additive
adjective
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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
nounDefinition 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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Other words from additive
Adjective
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noun
Synonyms for additive
Synonyms: Adjective
accumulative, conglomerative, cumulative, incremental
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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 aloneNoun
a gasoline additive to reduce pollutionRecent Examples on the Web: Adjective
But each one is still additive to the overall picture. — Nicholas Thompson, WIRED, "How Facebook Wants to Improve the Quality of Your News Feed," 23 May 2018 Ketamine augments the brain's ability to change, which could explain why talk therapy might be additive. — Moises Velasquez-manoff, WIRED, "Ketamine Stirs Up Hope—and Controversy—as a Depression Drug," 8 May 2018 To me, doing something additive to the DC Universe and affirmative of its ongoing legacy of superheroics with many faces, which the God of Superheroes notes in the finale, is an honorable achievement. — Graeme Mcmillan, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Justice League of America' Writer Dissects a Year of Storytelling," 27 Apr. 2018 And auto-industry designers use additive manufacturing techniques to rework the shape of a fender. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "Your Next Home Could Be 3D-Printed," 23 Apr. 2018 The best part of making comics as a team is that back and forth excitement as the story expands with each creative partner's additive concepts. — Will Nevin, OregonLive.com, "Interview | Writer Ryan O'Sullivan, artist Plaid Klaus go inside Image Comics' 'Void Trip'," 16 Apr. 2018 Last year, Auburn was named as one of only eight universities in the world by General Electric for its additive education program. — William Thornton, AL.com, "Auburn University establishing two additive manufacturing centers," 20 Mar. 2018 The scientists fed fatty foods to one group of mice, and a second group ate non-fatty fish oil additive foods. — Susan Scutti, CNN, "Health effects of fish oil: Where do we stand?," 1 Mar. 2018 Needle exchange workers say the strips have revealed the presence of fentanyl not only in white powder form but also as an additive to black-tar heroin and even in such non-opioids as methamphetamine and crack/cocaine. — Pauline Bartolone, Washington Post, "California To Drug Users: We’ll Pay For You To Test Your Dope," 5 Feb. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
There are many fabric additives available, and these include molecules that absorb a high-energy ultraviolet ray, siphon off a bit of heat energy, and then re-emit the rest as a lower-energy photon: one that’s blue. — Helen Czerski, WSJ, "Behind Sparkling White Uniforms, an Optical Trick," 24 May 2018 Hunter Oil started in 1957 in Chattanooga with Hunter's grandfather, Jim, who sold an oil additive to truck stops around the city out of his station wagon. — William Thornton, AL.com, "Hunter Oil expanding in Alabama, through the South," 16 Mar. 2018 Some cars left exotic aromas in their wake, betraying some fuel additive or other. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "7:57:148—Volkswagen makes racing history with record-breaking electric race car," 29 June 2018 The ingredients of the liquid vary, but generally include nicotine (though some are nicotine free), chemicals to vaporize the nicotine (like propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin), additives and flavoring. — Scientific American, "E-Cigs and Second-Hand Vaping," 18 May 2018 All of McDonald's burgers, fresh and frozen, are made with 100 percent beef without any fillers, additives or preservatives. — Joey Morona, cleveland.com, "Local McDonald's restaurants now serving customizable, fresh-beef burgers," 8 May 2018 That byproduct wax was odorless, colorless, and its melting point could be changed with additives. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, "This cotton won't kill you," 18 Apr. 2018 Peshkin’s mother, Klavdia Logvinskaya, worked herself up from lab technician to engineer, researching additives that influence the properties of metal alloys. — Karen Weintraub, BostonGlobe.com, "A doctor wages personal and professional battles against aging," 23 June 2018 Singh sent them home with additional formula with a calorie additive. — Marisa Kwiatkowski, Indianapolis Star, "DCS records: Father of 'grossly malnourished' 1-month-old had child welfare history," 4 June 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for additive
additive
nounEnglish 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
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Kids Definition of additive
: a substance added to another in small amounts The gasoline additive improves engine performance.
additive
adjective
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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
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noun
plural additivities
additive
nounMedical 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
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