adhesive
Americanadjective
-
coated with glue, paste, mastic, or other sticky substance.
adhesive bandages.
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sticking fast; sticky; clinging.
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Physics. of or relating to the molecular force that exists in the area of contact between unlike bodies and that acts to unite them.
noun
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a substance that causes something to adhere, as glue or rubber cement.
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Philately. a postage stamp with a gummed back, as distinguished from one embossed or printed on an envelope or card.
adjective
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able or designed to adhere; sticky
adhesive tape
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tenacious or clinging
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of adhesive
First recorded in 1660–70; adhes(ion) + -ive
Explanation
An adhesive is something sticky that holds things together. Use an adhesive to repair a cracked plate. Adhesive comes from the Latin adhaerere, meaning "stick to," which is precisely what something adhesive does — it sticks to things. An adhesive bonds surfaces together. It's the sticky side on a roll of duct tape that causes it to be so effective. The word can be used to describe both the substance itself: to use an adhesive, for example — or its property of stickiness: an adhesive bandage sticks to the skin.
Vocabulary lists containing adhesive
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 1
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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.
Of those factors, one proves more adhesive than the rest.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
Previously, thin layers of MoSe2 were created using exfoliation -- a method similar to peeling layers off a crystal with adhesive tape.
From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026
Fry remembered a talk he had attended about Silver’s light adhesive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
"Hair has an adhesive quality and the ability to capture certain contaminants," says Mattia Carenini, Global Hubs Director at Matter of Trust.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
I stare at the two halves, which aren’t going to stick together without some kind of adhesive I don’t have.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
