conducive

adjective

con·​du·​cive kən-ˈdü-siv How to pronounce conducive (audio)
-ˈdyü-
: tending to promote or assist
an atmosphere conducive to education
conduciveness noun

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Something conducive "leads to" a desirable result. A cozy living room may be conducive to relaxed conversation, just as a boardroom may be conducive to more intense discussions. Particular tax policies are often conducive to savings and investment, whereas others are conducive to consumer spending. Notice that conducive is almost always followed by to.

Examples of conducive in a Sentence

… air-conditioner cooling towers on the roof provided a conducive summertime abode, from which the germs circulated throughout the edifice in a fine infectious mist. Wayne Biddle, A Field Guide to Germs, 1995
To the extent to which the political realm is more conducive to rational choice, compared with the social realm which is governed by material and economic concerns, it is in politics that the potentiality for freedom lies. Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, 1987
It was a hard time, and not conducive to obedience and warmth, and fairly soon I was tucked into a kindly concentration camp for budding Christians … M. F. K. Fisher, Journal of Gastronomy, Summer 1984
The small hat of woven green plastic raffia, the jazzy short-sleeved shirt (fundamentally orange), the pale blue shorts, were not garments conducive to dignity. A. N. Wilson, Scandal or Priscilla's Kindness, 1983
the claim that the state's long-standing antitax attitude is conducive to entrepreneurship the noisy environment of the dorms was not very conducive to studying
Recent Examples on the Web Multiple computer models are flagging the rapid intensification potential, due to the abundance of warm waters and atmospheric conditions conducive to significant strengthening. Andrew Freedman, Axios, 23 Sep. 2024 Trails throughout the property are conducive to walking and hiking, but guests can request car service to get around the grounds at any time of the day. Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 Seeking out new restaurants or novel regional dishes can be the best part of a touring day, especially conducive to bonding and blowing off steam after hours spent hauling gear, driving, or performing in similarly mundane spaces day after day. Robin Pecknold, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2024 While environmental conditions appear only marginally conducive for the system to develop further by the end of this week, the NHC said a tropical depression or storm could still re-form in a few days as the system moves slowly northward over the central subtropical Atlantic. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conducive 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conducive.' 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

conduce + -ive

Note: English derivatives with -ive are normally formed from the past participle of a Latin verb. The adjective conducive is an exception. Presumably this is the case because conduct entry 1 already existed as a verb, but it lacked an original sense of Latin condūcere, "to tend to support, be of advantage (to)"—so that conductive would not convey the right meaning. The alternative was to form an -ive adjective directly from the verb.

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conducive was in 1646

Dictionary Entries Near conducive

Cite this Entry

“Conducive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conducive. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

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