as in cumulative
produced by a series of additions of identical or similar things
certain drugs have additive effects when taken in conjunction with each other that one doesn't see when any one is used alone
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in subsidiary
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of additive
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026
Plus, Fleury’s easygoing personality would be additive to the dressing room and should remove any potential concerns about how things might go if the organization carries three goaltenders with Calvin Pickard still in the mix, too.
—Chris Johnston, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026
Health Department scrutiny of a vaccine additive could signal changes coming next year.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for additive
Adjective
This additive method replaced time-consuming polishing techniques.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026
Plus, Fleury’s easygoing personality would be additive to the dressing room and should remove any potential concerns about how things might go if the organization carries three goaltenders with Calvin Pickard still in the mix, too.
—Chris Johnston, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Noun
Hyundai actually recommends a fuel additive every 2000 miles due to carbon build up which can cause hesitation and poor performance.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026
Health Department scrutiny of a vaccine additive could signal changes coming next year.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for additive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for additive
Adjective
-
Democratic unraveling is cumulative.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
-
This exceeds the 40% cumulative growth in personal income that reflects the ability of Californians to cover those costs.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Oc Register,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Halliburton's subsidiary, KBR, came under scrutiny for multi-billion dollar contracts in Iraq.—
Julia Simon,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The move consolidates several of Musk’s major ventures, bringing his rockets, social media company X, Grok and SpaceX’s satellite Internet subsidiary Starlink under a single umbrella.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But hoove-adjacent fashions aren’t a contemporary invention in the least, instead originating in 15th-century Japan in the form of split-toe socks, which were a common accompaniment to kimonos.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Its home will be the Ten Hotel Gurnee, where Arden envisions regular performances of a variety of orchestra music, from pops to classical, played with dinner accompaniment.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In October, Marineland applied for export permits to move its complement of belugas to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, an aquarium in China.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The Patriots already have a full complement of defensive tackles in Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Khyiris Tonga, Cory Durden and Leonard Taylor III, who will also likely be elevated off the practice squad.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Your healthcare provider will likely order labs to check your magnesium and vitamin D levels before recommending a supplement.—
Kirstyn Hill,
Health,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The details are buried in the study’s supplement.—
Eleanor M. Perfetto,
STAT,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Additive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/additive. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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