Synonyms

reductive

American

[ri-duhk-tiv] / rɪˈdʌk tɪv /

adjective

of or relating to reduction; serving to reduce or abridge.

an urgent need for reductive measures.
of or relating to change from one form to another.

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

noun

something causing or inducing a reductive process.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of reductive

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

Explanation

Reductive things oversimplify information or leave out important details. A reductive argument won't win a debate, because it tries to make a complex issue much too simple. Your friend may recommend reading the "CliffsNotes" version of "Moby Dick," instead of the novel itself — but if you do, you'll only get a reductive summary of the plot and themes, instead of a long, nuanced book. Reductive shares a root with reduce, or "make smaller," the Latin reducere, "bring back." The earliest meaning of reductive was "that brings back."

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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.

Reductive carboxylation acts directly on the generation of metabolites, small chemical elements that modify histones, to influence DNA packaging and to prevent accessibility to longevity genes.

From Science Daily • Sep. 20, 2023

Reductive though this may sound, “We Should Not Be Friends” is an object lesson in the difference between male and female communication styles.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2023

Reductive, ghoulish and surpassingly boring, “Blonde” might have invented a new cinematic genre: necro-fiction.

From Washington Post • Sep. 28, 2022

Reductive characterization of "musical admirers" and sloppily inaccurate prison metaphor aside . . . do you promise?

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2019

Reductive storytelling like this can have a place in making complicated phenomena more relatable for humans.

From Slate • Dec. 11, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023