consumptive
Americanadjective
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tending to consume; destructive; wasteful.
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relating to consumption by use.
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Pathology.
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relating to or of the nature of consumption.
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disposed to or affected with consumption.
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noun
adjective
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causing consumption; wasteful; destructive
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pathol relating to or affected with consumption, esp tuberculosis of the lungs
noun
Other Word Forms
- consumptively adverb
- consumptiveness noun
- nonconsumptive adjective
- nonconsumptively adverb
- nonconsumptiveness noun
- unconsumptive adjective
- unconsumptively adverb
Etymology
Origin of consumptive
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English adjective and noun consumptif “eliminating or reducing morbid humors or tissue; an agent that eliminates or reduces morbid humors or tissue,” from Medieval Latin consūmptīvum, noun use of adjective consūmptīvus “wasteful, destructive; suffering from pulmonary consumption”; see origin at consumption, -ive
Vocabulary lists containing consumptive
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 majority of IBM’s software follows a consumptive and instance-related pricing model, not SaaS, and we think that is a better place to be.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
"We don't say AI is inherently good or that it is empirically better, just that when we looked at it in these instances, it was less energy consumptive," Torrance said.
From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2024
By planting local plants, you can also support native pollinators, finding that spark or connection to nature in a less vain and consumptive manner.
From Salon • Mar. 3, 2023
Kuhn said the conflict “all goes back to the definition of consumptive use,” and he hopes the two sides can reach a compromise on the issue.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2023
It created a cacophony of hacking coughs, bronchial rattles, asthmatic wheezes, consumptive croaks.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
