adaptive

[uh-dap-tiv]

adjective

1. serving or able to adapt; showing or contributing to adaptation.

   the adaptive coloring of a chameleon.

Other Word Forms

• adaptively adverb
• adaptiveness noun
• adaptivity noun
• nonadaptive adjective
• readaptive adjective
• readaptively adverb
• readaptiveness noun
• unadaptive adjective
• unadaptively adverb
• unadaptiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of adaptive¹

First recorded in 1815–25; adapt + -ive

Example Sentences

But it rides on a brilliantly tuned air suspension with adaptive dampers to tie down rebellious momenta.

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Existing AI models struggle with the adaptive, long-term planning it demands.

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"They may not know what science is, but they're navigating complex environments with intelligent and adaptive strategies," she said.

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The startup essentially tailors microbes using a technique known as adaptive laboratory evolution—gradually exposing the organisms to conditions such as high arsenic or salty water.

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In contrast, he says, "The brain learns by moving ions across membranes, achieving energy-efficient and adaptive learning directly in hardware, or more precisely, in what people may call 'wetware'."

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Related Words

• flexible