contractive

[ kuhn-trak-tiv ]

adjective

1. serving or tending to contract.
2. capable of contracting.

Other Words From

• con·tractive·ly adverb
• con·tractive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contractive¹

First recorded in 1615–25; contract + -ive

Example Sentences

The gas burner is made of a metal having great expansive and contractive properties.

From Project Gutenberg

And the doctor, by sundry tests and applications, showed the peculiar exhausted and contractive condition of the muscles.

From Project Gutenberg

For there are Bohemians even among gypsies; everything in this life being relative and socially-contractive.

From Project Gutenberg

There must always be contractive elements, implicit or explicit, in a marriage; that was well recognized even by the Canonists.

From Project Gutenberg