adaptive
Americanadjective
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Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of adaptive
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How does adaptive compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use adaptive to describe people who are flexible — they don't lose their cool when plans change quickly and they are always willing to learn new ways to do things. Being adaptive helps you sail along in today's ever-changing world. What do chameleons and your grandparents who only started using computers a few years ago have in common? They are adaptive. Just as chameleons change color to match their surroundings — green when sitting on leaves, brown when climbing the tree's trunk — your grandparents learned the skills to keep up with the world around them. The opposite of adaptive is stubborn. People, lizards, or anything that refuses to change are stubborn. To welcome change is to be adaptive.
Vocabulary lists containing adaptive
30 GRE Words Beginning with "A"
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Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Cosmos
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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.
"It used to be somewhat hard to make these things. Now anyone can do it in seconds," said Brian Long, chief executive of Adaptive Security, a company offering trainings on AI fraud protection.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Adaptive Abilities, or AA, is a category where cheerleaders with and without disabilities compete side-by-side.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
With the new Citywide Adaptive Reuse Ordinance going into effect this month, many more housing conversions are coming to Los Angeles, Lee said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
Adaptive immunity trains the immune system to recognize a specific pathogen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025
Biologic Consideration of the Adaptive Variation in Amounts of Energy Stored in Various Animals Energy is appropriated from the physical forces of nature that constitute the environment.
From Origin and Nature of Emotions by Crile, George W. (Washington)
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.
