additive

American  

[ad-i-tiv] / ˈæd ɪ tɪv /

noun

additives plural

1. something that is added, as one substance to another, to alter or improve the general quality or to counteract undesirable properties.

   an additive that thins paint.

2. Nutrition.

   1. Also called food additive.  a substance added directly to food during processing, as for preservation, coloring, or stabilization.

   2. something that becomes part of food or affects it as a result of packaging or processing, as debris or radiation.

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adjective

1. characterized or produced by addition; cumulative.

   an additive process.

2. Mathematics. (of a function) having the property that the function of the union or sum of two quantities is equal to the sum of the functional values of each quantity; linear.

additive British  

/ ˈædɪtɪv /

adjective

1. characterized or produced by addition; cumulative

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noun

1. any substance added to something to improve it, prevent deterioration, etc

2. short for food additive

additive Scientific  

/ ăd′ĭ-tĭv /

1. A substance added in small amounts to something else to improve, strengthen, or otherwise alter it. Additives are used for a variety of reasons. They are added to food, for example, to enhance taste or color or to prevent spoilage. They are added to gasoline to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, and to plastics to enhance molding capability.

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1. Relating to the production of color by the mixing of light rays of varying wavelengths.

2. ◆ The additive primaries red, green, and blue are those colors whose wavelengths can be mixed in different proportions to produce all other spectral colors.

3. Compare subtractive See Note at color

4. Mathematics Marked by, produced by, or involving addition.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interadditive
  adjective
• subadditive
  adjective
• additively
  adverb
• subadditively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• additives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of additive

From the Late Latin word additīvus, dating back to 1690–1700. See additament, -ive

Explanation

An additive is an extra substance that's added to something in order to improve it in some way. Many additives are used to preserve or flavor food. The noun additive means "something that is added," from the Latin addere, "add to or attach." Things like gasoline, medicine, and livestock feed all contain various chemical additives that make them safer or more efficient. In math, additive is often used as an adjective, meaning "having to do with addition."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

additive additives

Nathalie clicks on the additive in question: E450.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Researchers used both additive and substitutive experimental designs to separate the effects of goldfish from the effects associated with having more fish overall.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

He called internet-based storytelling “another additive source for material for movies.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

Sakuu’s process, under development for years, uses additive manufacturing to lay down key battery components without solvents, eliminating the need for ovens, says Niestroj.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

One is modeling, an additive process using soft materials such as plaster, clay, or wax.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

"Since 2017, we have reformulated over 3,000 recipes and taken out 160 additives… Last year alone, we re-worked the formulations of around 300 products," the company said in a statement.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Road dust was swept and analyzed for microplastics by direct analysis and solvent extraction to separate bound plastic from asphalt and plastic additives by water extraction.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026

They were looking for a steady source of raw milk at a time when consumers were waking up to the risks of food contaminated by additives, fertilizers and pesticides.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Similarly, packaged pancakes and waffles are filled with sugars and are often ultraprocessed, loaded with harmful additives.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026

Several of the ingredients were synthetic additives that are permitted under federal organic rules.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• preservative
• supplement