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
additively
adverb
: a substance added to another in relatively small amounts to effect a desired change in properties
food additives
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
Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2025
Sometimes the mineral is also added to foods as an additive or preservative and will show up on the food's Nutrition Facts Label when that's the case.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 June 2025
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
An estimated 10,000 food additives are approved for use in the U.S., as opposed to 411 in the European Union, according to the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for additive
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Adjective
Benji: Genuinely, the only thing that matters to us is successful family lives, and the rest will just be additive.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2025
Sometimes the mineral is also added to foods as an additive or preservative and will show up on the food's Nutrition Facts Label when that's the case.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 June 2025
Noun
Under no circumstances are artificially synthesized ingredients like additives and sweeteners acceptable for your dog’s diet.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
An estimated 10,000 food additives are approved for use in the U.S., as opposed to 411 in the European Union, according to the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for additive
Cite this Entry
“Additive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/additive. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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
additively
adverb
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
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