reductive
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reductive
- /ɹɪˈdʌktɪv/
Where it comes from
From Middle French réductif, from Late Latin reductivus, from the participle stem of Latin reducere (“to reduce”).
adjective more reductive · most reductive
- Pertaining to the reduction of a decree etc.; rescissory.
- Causing the physical reduction or diminution of something.
- That reduces a substance etc. to a more simple or basic form. On the relative reductive powers of different classes of American coals, as demonstrated by the experiments with oxide of lead.
- That can be derived from, or referred back to, something else. But then beside the primary and direct sense of the text, the ancients commonly supposed that there was a reductive or anagogical meaning, in which it might be taken.
- That reduces an argument, issue etc. to its most basic terms; simplistic, reductionist.
Opposite: oxidative
Thesaurus
adjective
Opposite: oxidative
Talk about this word "reductive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/reductive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. reductive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/reductive "reductive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/reductive.Cite this
@misc{reductive_2026,
title = {reductive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/reductive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
