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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Forecasters said environmental conditions appear conducive for some gradual development of this system over the next several days, with a tropical depression possibly forming during the early to middle part of next week. Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025 However, feeling burned out just from trying to care about the world isn’t conducive to solving its problems. Padma Balaji, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025 Not only do autumnal colors blanket the region, but the cooler weather is more conducive to camping and the park’s events calendar includes several different seasonal activities. Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025 Frost advisories remain in place across parts of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York as temperatures in the low 30s could be conducive to frost formation overnight and into Tuesday morning. Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conducive

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

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Cite this Entry

“Conducive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conducive. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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