consumptive

American  

[kuhn-suhmp-tiv] / kənˈsʌmp tɪv /

adjective

1. tending to consume; destructive; wasteful.

2. relating to consumption by use.

3. Pathology.

   1. relating to or of the nature of consumption.

   2. disposed to or affected with consumption.

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noun

1. Older Use. a person with tuberculosis.

consumptive British  

/ kənˈsʌmptɪv /

adjective

1. causing consumption; wasteful; destructive

2. pathol relating to or affected with consumption, esp tuberculosis of the lungs

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noun

1. pathol a person who suffers from consumption

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”; consumption, -ive

Example Sentences

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

On a financial level, how DeepSeek functions with fewer resources will raise unavoidable sustainability questions when other AI companies attempt to succeed using more consumptive models.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025

"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

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

But the poor judgement of men will begin something that seems good at the outset without noticing the poison concealed underneath, as I said earlier in connection with consumptive fevers.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli