adaptive
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- adaptively adverb
- adaptiveness noun
- adaptivity noun
- nonadaptive adjective
- readaptive adjective
- readaptively adverb
- readaptiveness noun
- unadaptive adjective
- unadaptively adverb
- unadaptiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of adaptive
Compare meaning
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cosmos
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
An executive order from Trump in December 2025, entitled “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” called for “creating a responsive and adaptive national security space architecture” through allied cooperation and private sector investments.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
"We find that neurotypical animals make adaptive decisions in this changing environment," Zhou says.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
In patients who already produce normal or elevated levels of endogenous GLP-1, flooding those same receptors with long-acting agonists may push a finely tuned system past its adaptive range.
From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026
India needs translational laboratories, accredited biobanks, adaptive trial networks and globally trusted evidence systems.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
The adaptive unconscious does an excellent job of sizing up the world, warning people of danger, setting goals, and initiating action in a sophisticated and efficient manner.”
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
