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
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
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
-
Coal and nuclear pivot The government has sought to pivot to coal as an alternative source, removing an 80% maximum operation limit, and nuclear energy by raising the nuclear power plant utilization rate from around 70% to over 80%.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
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But starting in 2022, unbeknown to the school administration, Misczak set up an alternative payment method through PayPal so parents could use their cards again, according to the indictment and a civil suit filed by KinderHaus against Misczak in December.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Carson Benge homered in his first career game, going back-to-back with Francisco Alvarez at the bottom of a new-look lineup, and Freddy Peralta (1-0) won his Mets debut as New York improved to 42-23 on opening day before a sellout crowd of 41,449.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The Brewers are looking to the Blue Springs native to be their new ace and lead them back to the National League Championship Series, and maybe even further.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Motorists had to find an alternate route to Route 51 on Monday.—
Ross Guidotti,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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With generative AI tools, pro‑regime propagandists can manufacture alternate realities at scale, and a flood of AI‑made videos on social media depicts an Iran that is handily winning the war.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Duncan and substitute right back DJ Taylor gave up the two PKs.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
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Rubel then made a substitute motion to hold the bill in committee to give lawmakers time to discuss it.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sure, a lot of other stuff has to go right for the Royals to return to contention, including keeping their pitching staff healthy and progress by Caglianone and fellow promising rookie Carter Jensen.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Crews set fire to trees, grease and various other objects to try out the capabilities.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Substitutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substitutive. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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