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

"This quantification of the economic value that these things provide is only additive to the inherent intrinsic conservation value that all life on Earth has."

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

The researchers explored whether additive manufacturing could provide a more efficient alternative.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Stablecoins are additive to our network,” CEO Michael Miebach said on the earnings call.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Nathalie clicks on the additive in question: E450.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

I’m betting it got its creaminess from xanthan gum or some other additive.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

They are typically made with refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts, and other additives designed to improve flavor, texture, and shelf life, often while lowering nutritional quality.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

These products are loaded with sugar, fat and chemical additives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

"We're reducing the use of oil, salt, sugar and additives, and using more natural raw ingredients."

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

She should read labels, mistrust mysterious additives, interrogate old nutritional orthodoxies and learn to distinguish “real” food from whatever came before it.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Or the organic phosphates may interact with various drugs, or with synthetic materials, food additives — who can say what else of the infinite number of man-made substances that now pervade our world?

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• preservative
• supplement