multiplicative

adjective

mul·​ti·​pli·​ca·​tive ˌməl-tə-ˈpli-kə-tiv How to pronounce multiplicative (audio) ˈməl-tə-plə-ˌkā-tiv How to pronounce multiplicative (audio)
1
: tending or having the power to multiply
2
: of, relating to, or associated with a mathematical operation of multiplication
the multiplicative property of 0 requires that a × 0 = 0 and 0 × a = 0
multiplicatively adverb

Examples of multiplicative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The same can be done with exponential functions characterized by constant multiplicative change. Patrick Honner, Quanta Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024 In 1969, the mathematician Volker Strassen revealed a more complicated procedure that could multiply 2-by-2 matrices in just seven multiplicative steps and 18 additions. Quanta Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 Worse, every extra dollar of tax revenue inflow has a multiplicative effect when it’s remembered that government programs only grow. John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 And if a year with three or four truly dangerous days is followed by one with 10 or 15, the effect on total area burned can be not additive but multiplicative, with relatively small changes to patterns of extreme weather yielding world-changing volumes of fire. David Wallace-Wells, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for multiplicative 

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of multiplicative was in 1653

Dictionary Entries Near multiplicative

Cite this Entry

“Multiplicative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multiplicative. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

multiplicative

adjective
mul·​ti·​pli·​ca·​tive ˌməl-tə-ˈplik-ət-iv How to pronounce multiplicative (audio) ˈməl-tə-plə-ˌkāt- How to pronounce multiplicative (audio)
: of, relating to, or associated with a mathematical operation of multiplication
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