recursive

adjective

re·​cur·​sive ri-ˈkər-siv 

1

: of, relating to, or involving recursion

a recursive function in a computer program

2

: of, relating to, or constituting a procedure that can repeat itself indefinitely

a recursive rule in a grammar

recursively adverb

recursiveness noun

Examples of recursive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The company, whose CEO Sam Altman recently supported calls for a development slowdown, focused especially on alignment research and recursive self-improvement. — Cj Haddad, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026

And two of the core principles should be, one, banning any self- improving AI, recursive self-improving AI. — CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026

Several of the researchers who spoke to NBC News said that humans could leverage AI systems to inflict cataclysmic damage well before recursive self-improvement materializes. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2026

Companies should prioritize building safe AI models instead of systems that can automatically improve themselves, a function known as recursive self-improvement, Zuckerberg wrote. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "recurring repeatedly," from Latin recursus, past participle of recurrere "to run back, run in the opposite direction, return" + -ive; in given senses as translation of German rekurrent or rekursiv — more at recur

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for recursive

• aversive
• coercive
• discursive
• dispersive
• immersive
• subversive
• cursive