Words with the suffix -ive
-ive means “tending to; having the nature of”, from Latin -ivus via Old French -if, -ive. It makes a word into an adjective.
15 examples of the suffix -ive
- activeact + -ivetending to act or do
- creativecreate + -ivehaving nature of creating
- massivemass + -ivehaving nature of great mass
- nativenat (born) + -ivetending toward one's birth place
- positiveposit + -ivehaving nature of being placed firmly
- sensitivesense + -ivetending to feel or sense
- attractiveattract + -ivetending to draw others near
- defensivedefend + -ivetending to defend or protect
- effectiveeffect + -ivetending to produce an effect
- impulsiveimpulse + -ivetending to act on impulse
- selectiveselect + -ivetending to select carefully
- supportivesupport + -ivetending to give support
- competitivecompete + -ivetending to compete eagerly
- progressiveprogress + -ivetending to move forward
- comprehensivecomprehend + -ivetending to include everything
How -ive works
The suffix '-ive' converts verbs or nouns into adjectives meaning 'tending to' or 'having the nature of'; spelling often requires dropping a final 'e' or adjusting the stem (e.g., 'compete' → 'competitive', 'defend' → 'defensive'). The suffix can also shift stress and produce noun forms like 'detective' or 'executive' when the adjective sense becomes a role.
Watch out: Words like 'olive,' 'furtive,' and 'naive' look like they carry '-ive' but are not formed from English bases with this suffix—they are borrowings whose endings happen to match the pattern.
To see suffixes combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other common suffixes
- -able · capable of
- -ible · capable of
- -tion · act
- -ness · state
- -ly · in a specified manner
- -er · one who performs an action
- -ment · result
- -ful · full of
- -less · without
- -ous · having the quality of
- -ity · state
- -ism · doctrine
- -ist · one who practices or believes in
- -ize · to make or cause to become
- -al · of
- -ance · action
- -ence · action
- -ship · state
Questions people ask
What does the suffix -ive mean?
-ive means “tending to; having the nature of”. It comes from Latin -ivus via Old French -if, -ive. The suffix '-ive' converts verbs or nouns into adjectives meaning 'tending to' or 'having the nature of'; spelling often requires dropping a final 'e' or adjusting the stem (e.g., 'compete' → 'competitive', 'defend' → 'defensive'). The suffix can also shift stress and produce noun forms like 'detective' or 'executive' when the adjective sense becomes a role.
What are some examples of words with the suffix -ive?
active, creative, massive, native, positive, sensitive, attractive, defensive. The full list of 15 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the suffix -ive but don’t?
Words like 'olive,' 'furtive,' and 'naive' look like they carry '-ive' but are not formed from English bases with this suffix—they are borrowings whose endings happen to match the pattern.
What is a suffix?
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word. It often changes the part of speech: -ness turns the adjective kind into the noun kindness, and -ly turns quick into the adverb quickly.