adaptive

[ uh-dap-tiv ]
See synonyms for adaptive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. serving or able to adapt; showing or contributing to adaptation: the adaptive coloring of a chameleon.

Origin of adaptive

1
First recorded in 1815–25; adapt + -ive

Other words from adaptive

  • a·dap·tive·ly, adverb
  • a·dap·tive·ness, noun
  • ad·ap·tiv·i·ty [ad-ap-tiv-i-tee], /ˌæd æpˈtɪv ɪ ti/, noun
  • non·a·dap·tive, adjective
  • re·a·dap·tive, adjective
  • re·a·dap·tive·ly, adverb
  • re·a·dap·tive·ness, noun
  • un·a·dap·tive, adjective
  • un·a·dap·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·a·dap·tive·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with adaptive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use adaptive in a sentence

  • Adaptiveness—Let each dress worn by a lady be suitable to the occasion upon which she wears it.

  • In all the changes she had learned to be content, and she had a certain adaptiveness that kept her from being unhappy.

    A Little Girl in Old Boston | Amanda Millie Douglas
  • The child, with her many changes and gentle nature, had developed a certain tact or adaptiveness, and loved pleasantness.

    A Little Girl in Old Boston | Amanda Millie Douglas
  • In this human task of securing adaptation and retaining adaptiveness the life sciences have high rank.

    College Teaching | Paul Klapper
  • With all his extraordinary adaptiveness, he stands in many respects in sharpest contrast to his environment.