extractive

American  

[ik-strak-tiv] / ɪkˈstræk tɪv /

adjective

1. tending or serving to extract, or based upon extraction.

   coal, oil, copper, and other extractive industries.

2. capable of being extracted, as from the earth.

   extractive fuels.

3. of, relating to, or involving extraction.

   extractive surgery.

4. of or of the nature of an extract.

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noun

1. something extracted.

extractive British  

/ ɪkˈstræktɪv /

adjective

1. tending or serving to extract

2. of, involving, or capable of extraction

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noun

1. something extracted or capable of being extracted

2. the part of an extract that is insoluble

Other Word Forms

• nonextractive adjective

Etymology

Origin of extractive

First recorded in 1590–1600; extract + -ive

Example Sentences

Vegas has grown more expensive in recent years—hotels and restaurants have gotten pricier, gambling more extractive.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

Under Mobutu, that then morphed into an extractive enterprise, where informal access to the corridors of power allowed individuals to fill their bank accounts with the proceeds from those resources.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

"There is the issue of climate change, that it doesn't rain anymore, but the main impact has been caused by extractive mining," he says.

From BBC • Jul. 19, 2025

Shoshana Zuboff’s “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” describes the perfect storm of extractive profit-seeking and privacy erosion that drives so much of contemporary life.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2025

Corruption, especially in the extractive sectors, and the negative effects of large inflows of foreign exchange, are major challenges facing Angola.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency