additive

1 of 2

adjective

ad·​di·​tive ˈa-də-tiv 

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by addition

an additive process

2

: produced by addition

3

: characterized by, being, or producing effects (such as drug responses or gene products) that when the causative factors act together are the sum of their individual effects

additively adverb

additivity

ˌa-də-ˈti-və-tē 

noun

additive

2 of 2

noun

: a substance added to another in relatively small amounts to effect a desired change in properties

food additives

Synonyms of additive

Adjective

• cumulative

Examples of additive in a Sentence

Adjective

certain drugs have additive effects when taken in conjunction with each other that one doesn't see when any one is used alone

Noun

a gasoline additive to reduce pollution

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Anthropic joint venture is framed in its announcement as a way to expand the supply of skilled implementation partners, and Anthropic is careful to call it additive to its existing integrator relationships rather than a replacement for them. —Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Both executives were unmistakably coordinated on the additive nature of this deal, in KPMG’s view. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 May 2026

Noun

Each can contains five to eight ingredients, no artificial additives, and prints both its full ingredient list and full nutritional facts on the label, a level of transparency that, as anyone who shops the RTD aisle knows, is the exception rather than the rule. —Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026

It was supposed to require FDA approval for new additives. —Sarah Gonzalez, NPR, 29 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Late Latin additīvus, from Latin additus (past participle of addere "to add") + -īvus -ive

Noun

derivative of additive entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing additive

• additive identity
• additive inverse
• additive manufacturing

Kids Definition

additive

1 of 2 adjective

ad·​di·​tive ˈad-ət-iv 

: relating to or produced by addition

additively adverb

additive

2 of 2 noun

: a substance added to another in small amounts to give or improve desirable qualities or decrease unwanted qualities

a gasoline additive

additives which color, flavor, or preserve food

Medical Definition

additive

1 of 2 adjective

ad·​di·​tive ˈad-ət-iv 

: having or relating to a value or effect that is the sum of individual values or effects: as

a

: relating to the sum of the pharmacological responses produced by the concurrent administration of two or more drugs capable of producing the same kind of effect

b

: having a genetic effect that is the sum of the individual effects

additively adverb

additivity

ˌad-ə-ˈtiv-ət-ē 

noun

plural additivities

additive

2 of 2 noun

: a substance added to another in relatively small amounts to effect a desired change in properties

especially : an agent added to a foodstuff to improve color, flavor, texture, or keeping qualities