reductive

adjective

re·​duc·​tive ri-ˈdək-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, causing, or involving reduction

2

: of or relating to reductionism : reductionistic

reductively adverb

reductiveness noun

Examples of reductive in a Sentence

a reductive interpretation of the theory

Recent Examples on the Web

Metabolism and weight loss enter conversations arm in arm, but this, according to Hall, can be reductive. —Lauren Kim, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025

The problem is not that these metaphors are reductive. —Pia Lauritzen, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025

The vein of unmitigated joy this week — online and outside the Manhattan courthouse, a scene of supportive chants, baby oil, and a 1999 Lil’ Kim Grammy costume — about a Black man beating the odds is reductive. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 July 2025

His mixed heritage—Kurdish, German, Portuguese, Angolan—defies Hollywood's reductive casting logic. —Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 30 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for reductive

• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• destructive
• inductive
• instructive
• obstructive
• productive
• seductive
• counterproductive
• photoconductive

Medical Definition

reductive

adjective

re·​duc·​tive ri-ˈdək-tiv 

: of, relating to, causing, or involving reduction