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

Mr. Dasgupta recommends not a return to empire—he exposes China’s exploitative, extractive relationships with African nations as little more than reheated Western colonialism—but what he calls a “new theology.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

States that depend heavily on extractive industries such as mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction tended to offer fewer protections for insects and arachnids.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

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

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel brings nuance to communities that have been ravaged by extractive capitalism and then shamed for their victimization.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber with the latter especially causing environmental degradation.

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