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Meaning & use

interactive

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌɪntərˈæktɪv/
US/ˌɪntərˈæktɪv/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Letting the user take part and get a response, such as a program, display or lesson that reacts to what they do.

    Grammar: Describes systems and media: an interactive map.

    Patterns

    • an interactive display
    • highly interactive

    The museum has an interactive display where visitors can build a bridge.

    We use an interactive whiteboard in math lessons.

    The website includes an interactive map of the trail.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Involving people who communicate with each other and respond to one another instead of one person doing all the talking.

    Grammar: Describes sessions, teaching and styles of communication.

    Patterns

    • an interactive session
    • interactive teaching

    The workshop was lively and interactive, with plenty of discussion.

    She prefers an interactive style of teaching to long lectures.

    Parents joined an interactive reading session with their toddlers.

  3. adjectivecomparabletechnical

    Of two or more things, acting on or influencing each other.

    Grammar: A more technical use, often in science: an interactive effect.

    Patterns

    • an interactive effect

    The study looked at the interactive effects of diet and exercise.

    Climate and soil have an interactive influence on crop yields.

    The two drugs may have an interactive effect in the body.

Word forms

comparativemore interactive
superlativemost interactive

Common combinations

interactive display
An interactive display explains how volcanoes erupt.
interactive whiteboard
The teacher drew the graph on the interactive whiteboard.
interactive learning
Interactive learning keeps students involved.
highly interactive
The game is highly interactive and reacts to every move.
interactive session
We ran an interactive session on resolving conflict.

Synonyms and how they differ

responsive
Responsive stresses that something reacts quickly, while interactive stresses a two-way exchange with the user.
participatory
Participatory is more formal and suggests people take a real part in a process, often in politics or research.
hands-on
Hands-on stresses practical, physical involvement rather than the back-and-forth exchange that interactive suggests.
engaging
Engaging means holding attention and need not involve any response from the user.

Opposites

passivestatic

Word family

interact verb
to communicate or act together
interaction noun
the act of interacting
interactively adverb
in a way that involves two-way response
interactivity noun
the degree to which something responds to the user

Commonly confused: interactive or intractable? interactive or interactional?

interactive vs intractable

Intractable means very hard to manage or solve, as in an intractable problem, and is unrelated to interaction.

interactive vs interactional

Interactional relates to the study of interaction in linguistics and sociology, while interactive describes things that invite response.

Practice

Instead of watching a video passively, learners click through the map and get instant feedback. The lesson is ___.

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