alterative
Americanadjective
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tending to alter.
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Medicine/Medical Obsolete. gradually restoring healthy bodily functions.
noun
adjective
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likely or able to produce alteration
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obsolete (of a drug) able to restore normal health
noun
Etymology
Origin of alterative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word alterātīvus. See alter, -ative
Vocabulary lists containing alterative
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.
She updates the lists manually to provide alterative items for donors to buy.
From Reuters ● Jul. 29, 2021
It was designed to offer young people an alterative to gang membership such as youth clubs but, crucially, also the prospect of training and work.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2018
A 55-ton acoustical shell has been designed for an alterative configuration, and that remains to be heard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2016
And its long-shot funding agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy, has expressed interest in some of the alterative concepts, to the extent of holding a workshop on them last year.
From Nature ● Jul. 22, 2014
When the alterative properties of arsenic became a therapeutic fad this produced good effects.
From Psychotherapy by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh
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