-ive - Dictionary Of English

Home » What Does The Suffix Ive Mean » -ive - Dictionary Of English

Maybe your like

× English definition ────────── English synonyms English collocations more... Forums
    • See Also:
    • Recent searches:
    • View All
-ive [links] ⓘ One or more forum threads is an exact match of your searched term in Spanish | in French | in Italian | English synonyms | English Usage | Conjugator | in context | images Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: -ive suffix
  1. (forming adjectives) indicating a tendency, inclination, character, or quality: divisive, prohibitive, festive, massive
  2. (forming nouns of adjectival origin): detective, expletive
Etymology: from Latin -īvus WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026I've /aɪv/USA pronunciation contraction.
  1. Pronounsa shortened form of I have:I've been working on the railroad for a long time.
-ive, suffix.
  1. -ive is attached to roots or nouns to form adjectives with the meaning "having a tendency or connection with; like'':act(ion) + -ive → active (= tending to be full of action or activity);sport + -ive → sportive (= like sports).
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026I've (īv),USA pronunciation
  1. Pronounscontraction of I have.
    See contraction.
-ive,
  1. a suffix of adjectives (and nouns of adjectival origin) expressing tendency, disposition, function, connection, etc.:active; destructive;detective;passive; sportive.Cf. -ative, -itive.
  • Latin -īvus; in some words, representing French -ive, feminine of -if 
'-ive' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): active - -ative - locative - obj. - surfactant - abessive - abjective - ablative - abortive - abrasive - absorptive - abstersive - abstractive - abusive - accelerative - acceptive - accommodative - accumulative - acquisitive - adaptive - addictive - additive - adessive - adhesive - adjective - adjunctive - adjustive - administrative - admissive - adoptive - adumbrative - adventive - adversative - affective - affiliative drive - affinitive - affirmative - afflictive - affricative - affrontive - agentive - agglutinative - aggregative - aggressive - allative - alleviative - alliterative - allusive - alternative - amative In Lists: English suffixes, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "-ive" in the title:

'You know that I ve been up and ive been down I ve been pick distinct/ive Hello, Ive goy a few sentences to be corrected. how to create words using the suffix -able or -ive Investigat-ive, or -ory? Ive always wanted to know what your name was. Ive been extremely fortunate to having had Ive been start ive versus ion Rule for using suffix -or versus -ive the difference between "subject(ive) vs. object(ive)" Visit the English Only Forum.Help WordReference: Ask in the forums yourself. Look up "-ive" at Merriam-Webster Look up "-ive" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Links: ⚙️Preferences | Abbreviations | Pron. Symbols | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Support WR | Forums | Suggestions
WordReference.com WORD OF THE DAY GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Firefox users: use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.
Copyright © 2026 WordReference.com Please report any problems.

Tag » What Does The Suffix Ive Mean