additive

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UK/ˈæd.ɪ.tɪv/Canada, US[ˈæɾ.ɪ.tɪv]Canada, US/ˈæd.ə.tɪv/Canada, US[ˈæɾ.ə.tɪv]

adjective

Pertaining to addition; that can be, or has been, added.

“It is natural to look at a finite cyclic group as an additive group.”

Similar
temperlinearbilinearaccumulativecumulativeaddableaddibleextra
Opposite
subtractive
OriginLate Latin additivus ← Latin addere →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

adjectiveadditive (comparative more additive, superlative most additive)

comparative more additive · superlative most additive

  1. mathematicsPertaining to addition; that can be, or has been, added.
  2. usuallymathematicsThat is distributive over addition.

    Matrix multiplication is additive, in that M#92;vecv#43;M#92;vecw#61;M(#92;vecv#43;#92;vecw).

  3. group theoryWhose operator is identified as addition.

    It is natural to look at a finite cyclic group as an additive group.

  4. chemistryPertaining to chemical addition.
  5. biologyOf or pertaining to genes (or the interaction etc. of such genes) which govern the same trait and whose effects work together on the phenotype.
nounadditive (plural additives)

plural additives

  1. A substance added to another substance or product to produce specific properties in the combined substance.

    Oil may be used as an additive in gasoline to improve the lubrication of a small engine.

    Synonyms: temper

  2. grammarA word or phrase that adds something, such as also, even, or nor.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA substance added to another substance or product to produce specific properties in the combined substance.

Similar
temper

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivedesignating or involving an equation whose terms are of the first degree

Similar
linearbilinear

adjectivecharacterized or produced by addition

Similar
accumulativecumulativeaddableaddibleextraadditionalcomplementalcomplementarycompleting
Opposite
subtractive
Also see
accumulativeaddableaddibleadditionalbilinearcomplementalcomplementarycumulativeextraincrementalintercalarylinearsummationalsummativesupplementalsupplementary

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinaddere“to add”
  2. Late Latinadditivus
  3. Englishadditive

From Late Latin additivus, from the participial stem of Latin addere (“to add”).

More words from Late Latin, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian доба́вка
  • доба́вка (dobávka)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Catalan additiu
  • additiusubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Chinese Mandarin 添加劑 /添加剂
  • 添加劑 /添加剂 (tiānjiājì)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Czech aditivum
  • aditivumsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Danish additiv, tilsætning
  • additivmath: that can be added
  • tilsætningsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • tilsætningsstofsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • additivsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Esperanto aldonaĵo
  • aldonaĵosubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Estonian lisaaine
  • lisaainesubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Finnish additiivinen, additiivinen
  • additiivinenmath: that can be added
  • additiivinenmath: that is distributive over addition
  • lisäainesubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
French additif, additif
  • additifmath: that is distributive over addition
  • additifsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
German Zusatzstoff, Zusatz
  • Zusatzstoffsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • Zusatzsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • Additivsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Hebrew תּוֹסָף
  • תּוֹסָף (tosaf)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Hungarian adalék, adalékanyag
  • adaléksubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • adalékanyagsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Italian additivo
  • additivosubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Japanese 添加剤
  • 添加剤 (tenkazai)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Māori tāpiripiri
  • tāpiripirimath: that can be added
Norwegian Bokmål tilsetning, tilsetningsstoff
  • tilsetningsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • tilsetningsstoffsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Persian ادیتیو, افزودنی
  • ادیتیو (aditiv)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • افزودنیsubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Polish addytywny, addytywny
  • addytywnymath: that can be added
  • addytywnymath: that is distributive over addition
  • addytywnygenetics
  • dodateksubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Portuguese aditivo
  • aditivosubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Russian аддити́вный, присадка
  • аддити́вный (additívnyj)math: that can be added
  • присадка (prisadka)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • доба́вка (dobávka)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • добавле́ние (dobavlénije)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
  • дополне́ние (dopolnénije)substance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Spanish aditivo
  • aditivosubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties
Swedish tillsats
  • tillsatssubstance added to another substance to produce certain properties

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

davidite
Cite this entry
APA

additive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/additive

MLA

“additive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/additive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “additive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/additive.

Source: additive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.