I've
1 Americansuffix
-
(forming adjectives) indicating a tendency, inclination, character, or quality
divisive
prohibitive
festive
massive
-
( forming nouns of adjectival origin )
detective
expletive
contraction
Usage
See contraction.
Etymology
Origin of -ive
< Latin -īvus; in some words, representing French -ive, feminine of -if
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I’ve always believed that anything is possible and there’s no doubt in here,” and she pats her heart, “because I’ve always felt this immense love for me from another entity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Speaking in the episode, broadcast on Thursday, art historian Charles Greig described it as "one of the trickiest paintings I've ever had to consider".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
But I’ve just got to stick it out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
She rents it out, and while she’s never discussed her estate plans with me, I’ve assumed she might leave the house to me and my two sisters.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
In the past week since my birthday, I’ve been on a never-ending ride of emotions.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
![]()
In Shakespeare many adjectives, especially those ending in -ful, -less, -ble, and -ive, have both an active and a passive meaning.
From The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Cæsar by Black, Ebenezer Charlton
What should be done with the terminations -able, -ible, -tion, -cial, -tive, -ive, and -sion?
From Division of Words Rules for the Division of Words at the Ends of Lines, with Remarks on Spelling, Syllabication and Pronunciation by Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.