reductive

adjective

re·​duc·​tive ri-ˈdək-tiv How to pronounce reductive (audio)
1
: of, relating to, causing, or involving reduction
2
: of or relating to reductionism : reductionistic
reductively adverb
reductiveness noun

Examples of reductive in a Sentence

a reductive interpretation of the theory
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
If anything, this change feels reductive, harkening back to the series’ often flat and stereotypical depiction of women. Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024 For this plotline to work, the wife must be attuned, sometimes newly so, to herself, her unhappiness, her desires—a fictional extension of the powerful, if reductive, idea that women can protect themselves from harm by understanding their own wants and limits. Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024 By embracing food politics in her platform, Harris could challenge these reductive stereotypes. Kelly Alexander, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2024 Hurley’s mental illness was thus explicitly tied to his weight, a reductive understanding of a link that research suggests is far more complex. Rebecca Bodenheimer, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for reductive 

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reductive was in 1633

Dictionary Entries Near reductive

Cite this Entry

“Reductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reductive. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

reductive

adjective
re·​duc·​tive ri-ˈdək-tiv How to pronounce reductive (audio)
: of, relating to, causing, or involving reduction

More from Merriam-Webster on reductive

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