reductive

American  

[ri-duhk-tiv] / rɪˈdʌk tɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to reduction; serving to reduce or abridge.

   an urgent need for reductive measures.

2. of or relating to change from one form to another.

   reductive chemical processes.

3. employing an analysis of a complex subject into a simplified, less detailed form; of, pertaining to, or employing reductionism; reductionistic.

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noun

1. something causing or inducing a reductive process.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antireductive
  adjective
• nonreductive
  adjective
• reductively
  adverb
• reductiveness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of reductive

First recorded in 1625–35; reduct(ion) + -ive

Explanation

Reductive things oversimplify information or leave out important details. A reductive argument won't win a debate, because it tries to make a complex issue much too simple. Your friend may recommend reading the "CliffsNotes" version of "Moby Dick," instead of the novel itself — but if you do, you'll only get a reductive summary of the plot and themes, instead of a long, nuanced book. Reductive shares a root with reduce, or "make smaller," the Latin reducere, "bring back." The earliest meaning of reductive was "that brings back."

Related Words

• diminishing
• diminutive
• minimal