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.
The export controls could mean that automakers and suppliers of battery materials will have to accelerate their search for alterative sources of the mineral.
From Reuters • Oct. 26, 2023
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
Carrots as an alterative are good, but they should be given only when ordered by a veterinary surgeon, in such quantities as he orders.
From The Barb and the Bridle A Handbook of Equitation for Ladies, and Manual of Instruction in the Science of Riding, from the Preparatory Suppling Exercises by Moustache, Vielle
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.
