as in alternative
taking the place of one that came before
his recent religious fanaticism is only the latest substitutive addiction of a person with an addictive personality
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Recent Examples of substitutive
At the top end, its role is more augmentative than substitutive, and its impact more incremental than disruptive or transformational.
—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2026
This kind of substitutive logic appears in early case histories of anorexia.
—
Anna Shechtman,
The New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2021
This simple, substitutive kind of automation, Mr. Acemoglu and Mr. Restrepo wrote, threatens not just individual workers, but the economy as a whole.
—
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2021
Somewhere along the line, a foundational philosophy emerged: Identity is additive, not substitutive.
—
Monte Reel,
Bloomberg.com,
20 July 2017
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2026
This kind of substitutive logic appears in early case histories of anorexia.
—
Anna Shechtman,
The New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2021
This simple, substitutive kind of automation, Mr. Acemoglu and Mr. Restrepo wrote, threatens not just individual workers, but the economy as a whole.
—
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2021
Somewhere along the line, a foundational philosophy emerged: Identity is additive, not substitutive.
—
Monte Reel,
Bloomberg.com,
20 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substitutive
Adjective
-
The warning came after a key naval information group had proposed alternative shipping corridors on Saturday, asking shipowners to consider transiting the strait along the southern route with their transponder signals on.
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The White House’s Iran negotiations rely on the dollar’s leverage, but Tehran has blunted that weapon by using alternative financial architecture, The Wall Street Journal reported, including payments in yuan or cryptocurrency, and adopting a Chinese alternative to the Swift banking network.
Adjective
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Karen Derrico was accused of threatening to kill her ex-husband, Deon Derrico, and their children in a new criminal complaint.
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Pochettino fielded nine new starters for this low-stakes game, but Christian Pulisic entered in the 58th minute.
Adjective
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The Ports, who played as their alternate Copa de la Diversión name, the Cheladas, also gave an option to give dad a shout-out on the jumbotron during a game where the Cheladas shut out the Visalia Rawhide, 8-0.
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Fish swim by alternate contractions of aerobic muscles that run the length of their bodies in a small red band just under their skin, while their large white anaerobic muscles are used only for brief bursts.
Adjective
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The same is true of Colombia, which got a 65th-minute goal from Luis Díaz and another from substitute Jáminton Campaz deep in stoppage time to beat stubborn Uzbekistan.
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Ronaldo is pretty much guaranteed to play every minute of Portugal’s 2026 World Cup regardless of his impact, whereas for a player of his age, a substitute role may be more suitable.
Adjective
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Barnacles, mussels, clams, algae and other warm-seawater-dwelling fauna and flora have latched onto oil tankers hundreds of massive oil tankers anchored in the Persian Gulf over the past several months.
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This handheld vacuum has a lightweight design and strong suction to clean debris in hard-to-reach areas behind the couch, in the car, and other hard-to-reach areas.
Cite this Entry
“Substitutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substitutive. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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