consumptive

1 of 2

adjective

con·​sump·​tive kən-ˈsəm(p)-tiv How to pronounce consumptive (audio)
1
: tending to consume
2
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption
consumptively adverb

consumptive

2 of 2

noun

: a person affected with consumption

Examples of consumptive in a Sentence

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.
Adjective
Short of placing money saved into a coffee can, to save is to shift consumptive ability to someone else. John Tamny, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025 The tone shifts, though, becoming myopic and even a little queasy once the film leaves high school behind and heads deeper into the forest, literally and figuratively, a shift that mimics the swoony, woozy, consumptive rush of first love — just what Hardwicke intended to capture. Bruce Handy, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Noun
Thomas Rudden, who plays Bobby who is playing O’Neill’s consumptive Edmund Tyrone, has a bad cough. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025 Money saved is immediately loaned out by financial intermediaries (think banks) to those who have near-term consumptive desires. John Tamny, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for consumptive

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1666, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of consumptive was in 1588

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Consumptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumptive. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

consumptive

1 of 2 adjective
con·​sump·​tive kən-ˈsəm(p)-tiv How to pronounce consumptive (audio)
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption

consumptive

2 of 2 noun
: a person who has consumption

Medical Definition

consumptive

1 of 2 adjective
con·​sump·​tive -ˈsəm(p)-tiv How to pronounce consumptive (audio)
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption
a consumptive cough
a consumptive child
consumptively adverb

consumptive

2 of 2 noun
: an individual affected with consumption
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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