discretive

dis·cret·ive
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Australia, UK/dɪsˈkɹiːt.ɪv/Canada, US, Scotland/dɪsˈkɹit.ɪv/New Zealand/dəsˈkɹiːt.əv/

adjective

Marking distinction or separation.

Scrabble 16

Meanings

adjectivediscretive (not comparable)
  1. not comparableMarking distinction or separation.

    The vital power underlies acts of motion, the discretive power underlies generation and growth, and the attractive power assimilates nutrients.

    2017, David S. Sytsma, Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers
    2 more examples

    A like discretive power is exercised in the sphere of each of the senses ; thus it is that the expe- rienced cook judges not only of the "far too much," but of the "much too little" of some one ingredient in the compound upon which the epicure, his master, shall bestow his commendation.

    1858, Isaac Taylor, The World of Mind: An Elementary Book, page 157

    Nor can it necessarily move the will to cause the action, as evidenced by the will's ability to choose from among discretive judgments consented to.

    2004, Keith David Wyma, Crucible of Reason, page 258
  2. not comparablegrammarDisjunctive with the additional characteristic that the conjoined clauses, while exhibiting a disjunct, are both asserted as true.

    Δαì has generally a discretive or distinctive, often and adversative power.

    1829, Hendrik Hoogeveen, Hoogeveen's Greek Particles, page 40
    2 more examples

    BUT is a Particle, none more familiar in our Language: and he that ſays it is a diſcretive Conjunction, and that it anſwers Sed in Latin, or Mais in French, thinks he has ſufficiently explained it.

    1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Of Particles”, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book III, § 5, page 229

    The coherencey of a discretive proposition depends on the connecton of both parts and their relevancy to one another.

    1837, S. E. Parker, Logic, Or, The Art of Reasoning Simplified, page 92
noundiscretive (plural discretives)

plural discretives

  1. human sciencesA discretive proposition.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

  1. Late Latindiscrētīvus
  2. Late Latindiscrētīvus
  3. Englishdiscretive

Learned borrowing from Late Latin discrētīvus. See discrete.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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