regenerative
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or characterized by regeneration.
-
tending to regenerate.
Usage
What does regenerative mean? Regenerative means able to or tending to regenerate—to regrow or be renewed or restored, especially after being damaged or lost. The act or process of regenerating is regeneration. Regenerative is most commonly used in the context of biology to describe the properties of organisms or environments that are capable of regrowth. In animals, tissue, organs, or other body parts that have been injured or lost are sometimes regenerated. In some animals, regeneration happens on an even greater scale, with some being able to regrow an entire limb or tail. Environments that have been damaged or destroyed, like forests or grasslands damaged by fire, can also regenerate. Such things are said to have regenerative properties. Regenerative is also commonly used in a figurative way to describe actions that are intended to renew or restore. Example: Scientists are studying the regenerative properties of the hydra in hopes of shortening the healing process after injuries.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of regenerative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word regenerātīvus. See regenerate, -ive
Explanation
When something is regenerative, it has a ability to regrow or become better. A salamander's tail is regenerative — if it falls off, it can regrow! Animals with regenerative abilities, like starfish and some lizards, don't have to worry about losing body parts; they just form new ones. In farming, regenerative practices involve growing crops in a way that the environment is improved, with more nutrients in the soil and cleaner air and water. The Latin root of regenerative is regenerare, "bring forth again."
Vocabulary lists containing regenerative
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The study was led by Dr. Ashok Shetty, university distinguished professor and associate director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, together with senior research scientists Dr. Madhu Leelavathi Narayana and Dr. Maheedhar Kodali.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
San Francisco-based Regenerative Social Finance runs an investment fund that makes loans to nonprofits and businesses in areas such as climate, education and agriculture.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
But in August 2013, a group of researchers, led by Irving Weissman of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University, published a paper questioning the legitimacy of Ratajczak’s claim.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
We can be stewards, following the lead of local Indigenous-led organizations like Chief Ya’anna Regenerative Learning Village in El Sereno or the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025
Nay they have made a Report on that old Catherine Theot, and her Regenerative Man spoken of by the Prophets; not in the best spirit.
From The French Revolution by Carlyle, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
