interactive

[in-ter-ak-tiv]

adjective

1. acting one upon or with the other.

2. of or relating to a two-way system of electronic communications, as by means of television or computer.

   interactive communications between families using two-way cable television.

3. (of a computer program or system) interacting with a human user, often in a conversational way, to obtain data or commands and to give immediate results or updated information.

   For many years airline reservations have been handled by interactive computer systems.

interactive

/ ˌɪntərˈæktɪv /

adjective

1. allowing or relating to continuous two-way transfer of information between a user and the central point of a communication system, such as a computer or television

2. (of two or more persons, forces, etc) acting upon or in close relation with each other; interacting

interactive

1. If users receive real-time feedback from a computer so that they can modify the use of the machine, the hardware, software, or content, the system is said to be interactive.

Other Word Forms

• interactivity noun
• interactively adverb
• noninteractive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of interactive¹

First recorded in 1825–35; inter- + active

Example Sentences

It is designed to make data both reusable and properly credited by combining all essential steps -- curation, compliance checks, AI-ready formatting, peer review, an interactive portal, certification, and permanent hosting -- into one seamless process.

Read more on Science Daily

Director Nancy Medina’s staging, circumnavigating a theatrical circle, lifts the audience out of its proscenium passivity into something almost immersive and definitely interactive.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The hysterical posturing is even more implausible when you realize existing stars will be AI’s biggest beneficiaries when it spawns lucrative new interactive opportunities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Of Crossroads, he says: “It’s more interactive and creative than the normal approach.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The interactive Discovery Forest offers animated films and answers to fossil-related questions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bilateral 
• collective 
• reciprocal