additive

play

adjective ad·di·tive \ ˈa-də-tiv \

Definition of additive

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

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additively

adverb

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additivity

play \ˌa-də-ˈti-və-tē\ noun

See additive defined for kids

Examples of additive in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of additive from the Web

But according to Gargiulo, the 22 elements have synergistic and additive benefits.

— kathleen hou, The Cut, "This $185 Natural Face Oil Became a Cult Beauty Favorite," 21 Aug. 2017
That included 372 from the powerful opioid additive fentanyl.

— mina haq and jon kelvey, baltimoresun.com, "Libraries joining opioid addiction fight through Narcan training, access to online resources," 21 Aug. 2017
And of course this resin-hardening method is but one specific example of how additive manufacturing work.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "An Extremely In-Depth Demo of How 3D Printing Works," 7 Aug. 2017
Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, has questions regarding erythritol, the sugar alcohol additive Halo Top uses in its recipe in order to cut back on sugar.

— laura entis, Fortune, "Halo Top Says Its Ice Cream Is Healthy — Nutritionists Aren’t Buying It," 3 Aug. 2017
Additive manufacturing ischanging the playing field.

— bruce brown, Fox News, "Naval architect predicts 3D-printed yachts and superyachts by 2030," 14 July 2017
In the 1980s, statisticians pioneered a technique called a generalized additive model (GAM).

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "How AI detectives are cracking open the black box of deep learning," 6 July 2017
The additive might have violated organic regulations.

— peter whoriskey, chicagotribune.com, "How millions of cartons of 'organic' milk contain an oil brewed in industrial vats of algae," 5 June 2017
UTC's push for research into additive technology will take it more deeply into an increasingly important part of manufacturing, which is under pressure to produce more quickly and less expensively.

— stephen singer, courant.com, "UTC Set To Show Off Refurbished $60 Million Research Center In East Hartford," 2 June 2017

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.

First Known Use of additive

1648

additive Synonyms

Synonyms

accretive, accumulative, cumulative, conglomerative, incremental

Related Words

gradual, step-by-step, stepwise; increscent, progressive; accruable, accrued, aggregated, amassed, built-up, compiled, conglomerated

Near Antonyms

decremental, decrescent, degressive, regressive

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

additive

noun

Definition of additive

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

food additives

See additive defined for English-language learners

Examples of additive in a Sentence

a gasoline additive to reduce pollution

Recent Examples of additive from the Web

The problem with dietary restrictions is that many foods have additives or unlabeled ingredients.

— kathy jumper, AL.com, "Dirt Cheap is just what it sounds like," 13 Aug. 2017
The biologist argued that the additive in question—which is created by using a centrifuge to spin off muscle meat from layers of fat and then treating it with ammonia—was not real ground beef.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "Disney Paid $177 Million to Settle ABC ‘Pink Slime’ Case," 10 Aug. 2017
This week GE released this great GIF of its 1,300-horsepower advanced turboprop (ATP) engine in which more than one-third of the components have been built through additive manufacturing, or 3D printing.

— andrew moseman, Popular Mechanics, "GE Made a Real 3D-Printed Plane Engine and Here's a Gorgeous Look at It," 26 July 2017
Health officials say powerful additives to the illicit market – such as fentanyl and carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer – are to blame.

— tim craig, nicole lewis, Alaska Dispatch News, "Communities in anguish over reviving opioid addicts," 16 July 2017
According to Marshall, entire superyachts, including the interiors, could be created with 3D-additive printing.

— bruce brown, Fox News, "Naval architect predicts 3D-printed yachts and superyachts by 2030," 14 July 2017
Companies turn to additives (like the cleaning agent borax) and salt to make up for the caviar’s shortcomings.

— natalie b. compton, GQ, "Why David Chang Gets His Caviar From Idaho," 13 July 2017
Fruity additives for alcoholic drinks, on the other hand, are still subject—which raises and alarming questions for some business owners.

— ian graber-stiehl, The Root, "Hood Health Care: The Sweeter the Soda, the Sweeter the Tax," 5 July 2017
Founded in 1975, Earth Fare sells products free of additives, including high fructose corn syrup, added growth hormones and artificial fats.

— matt kaminer, charlotteobserver, "Earth Fare opens new Concord location," 28 June 2017

First Known Use of additive

1901

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

ADDITIVE Defined for English Language Learners

additive

noun

Definition of additive for English Language Learners

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

ADDITIVE Defined for Kids

additive

play

noun ad·di·tive \ ˈa-də-tiv \

Definition of additive for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

additive

play

adjective ad·di·tive \ ˈad-ət-iv \

medical Definition of additive

: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

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additively

adverb

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additivity

play \ˌad-ə-ˈtiv-ət-ē\ noun plural addities

additive

noun

medical Definition of additive

: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