✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate Dictionary — Buy Now!

-ive

adjective suffix

: that performs or tends toward an (indicated) action
amusive

Word History

Etymology

Middle French -ive, from Latin -ivus

Browse Nearby Words

Ivatan
-ive
ivermectin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“-ive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/-ive. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

-ive

adjective suffix
iv
: that performs or tends toward an indicated action
exhaustive
Etymology

derived from Latin -ivus (adjective suffix)

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Buck Naked' or 'Butt Naked'?

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

More Words with Remarkable Origins

The Words of the Week - Nov. 28

17 Words for Dog Breeds

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Popular

See More

'Buck Naked' or 'Butt Naked'?

More Words with Remarkable Origins

The Words of the Week - Nov. 28
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
petit-fours
Name That Dessert! Hope you’ve saved room for some sweet vocabulary.
See All