reductive

[ ri-duhk-tiv ]
See synonyms for reductive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or relating to reduction; serving to reduce or abridge: an urgent need for reductive measures.

  2. of or relating to change from one form to another: reductive chemical processes.

  1. employing an analysis of a complex subject into a simplified, less detailed form; of, pertaining to, or employing reductionism; reductionistic.

noun
  1. something causing or inducing a reductive process.

Origin of reductive

1
First recorded in 1625–35; reduct(ion) + -ive

Other words from reductive

  • re·duc·tive·ly, adverb
  • re·duc·tive·ness, noun
  • an·ti·re·duc·tive, adjective
  • non·re·duc·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use reductive in a sentence