erosive

[ ih-roh-siv ]

/ ɪˈroʊ sɪv /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR erosive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving to erode; causing erosion.

RELATED WORDS

biting, acrid, acerbic, abrasive, pungent, mordant, acid, trenchant, destructive, incisive, caustic, troublesome, hostile, offensive, negative, vicious, adverse, corrosive, detrimental, corroding

Nearby words

erose, erosely, erosible, erosion, erosion surface, erosive, erotema, erotes, erotetic, erotic, erotica

Origin of erosive

1820–30; < Latin ērōs(us) (see erose) + -ive

Related formse·ro·sive·ness, e·ro·siv·i·ty, nounan·ti·e·ro·sive, adjectivenon·e·ro·sive, adjectiveun·e·ro·sive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for erosive

Then the erosive waste exceeds the growth by up-bulging, and mountain decay begins.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, February 1900|Various
There can be no doubt, then, that glaciers have an erosive action, and therefore must be regarded as agents of denudation.
The Story of the Hills|H. N. Hutchinson
They have been robbed by the erosive action of waves and running water.
Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know|Julia Ellen Rogers
The erosive power of a river is vastly augmented by the solid matter carried along with it.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall

Before either ice or water can exert great power as an erosive agent, it must collect in sufficient mass.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall

Medicine definitions for erosive

erosive

[ ĭ-rō′sĭv ]

adj.

Causing erosion.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.