adaptive

American  

[uh-dap-tiv] / əˈdæp tɪv /

adjective

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

   the adaptive coloring of a chameleon.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of adaptive

First recorded in 1815–25; adapt + -ive

Compare meaning

How does adaptive compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• adaptive vs. maladaptive

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.

Related Words

• flexible