additive

[ ad-i-tiv ]

See synonyms for additive on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.
Nutrition.
- Also called food additive. a substance added directly to food during processing, as for preservation, coloring, or stabilization.
- something that becomes part of food or affects it as a result of packaging or processing, as debris or radiation.

adjective

characterized or produced by addition; cumulative: an additive process.
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.

Origin of additive

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

Other words from additive

ad·di·tive·ly, adverb
in·ter·ad·di·tive, adjective
sub·ad·di·tive, adjective
sub·ad·di·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use additive in a sentence

You rigidly avoid any food you deem to be “unhealthy,” such as those containing fat, preservatives, additives or animal products.
Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession | DailyBurn | October 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And evidence continues to mount against zero-calorie additives.
Are Artificial Sweeteners Wrecking Your Diet? | DailyBurn | September 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
First click: “Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)/Fuels & Fuel Additives.”
The Federal Government Has Violated My Right to Chainsaw | P. J. O’Rourke | April 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Low acidity levels are often corrected with additives during the winemaking process.
A Wine Revolution | Sophie Menin | May 23, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
She went on and on about the dangers of food additives and how they had exacerbated one of her boys' ADHD.
My War Against Food Nazi Moms | Laura Bennett | January 3, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST

Some garagemen are said to be blaming new additives in gasoline and lubricating oil.
The Year When Stardust Fell | Raymond F. Jones
Some people say it's the additives in gasoline, but you don't get them showing up simultaneously in all parts of the world.
The Year When Stardust Fell | Raymond F. Jones
Maybe the ozone and the other additives in your shelter air are too heady for me.
The Creature from Cleveland Depths | Fritz Reuter Leiber

British Dictionary definitions for additive

additive

/ (ˈædɪtɪv) /

adjective

characterized or produced by addition; cumulative

noun

any substance added to something to improve it, prevent deterioration, etc
short for food additive

Origin of additive

C17: from Late Latin additīvus, from addere to add

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for additive

additive

[ ăd′ĭ-tĭv ]

Noun

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.

Adjective

Relating to the production of color by the mixing of light rays of varying wavelengths.♦ The additive primaries red, green, and blue are those colors whose wavelengths can be mixed in different proportions to produce all other spectral colors. Compare subtractive. See Note at color.
Mathematics Marked by, produced by, or involving addition.

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