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

Yes, their courtship was singular, sweeping and at times volatile, but I was mostly struck by the acute disconnect between the way they were posthumously characterized by friends and family and the often misogynistic, reductive narrative that surrounded them at the time. —Connor Hines, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026

Sani works with the Sémillon in a very reductive style, limiting its exposure to oxygen in the winemaking process. —Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 14 June 2026

Critics, some eminent historians among them, were swift to note that Hannah-Jones’s history was reductive and, in places, simply wrong. —Yoni Appelbaum, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026

In other words, the system becomes teleologically coherent, ontologically reductive, and epistemologically dominant at the same time. —Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

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