Meaning & use
invasive
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounbiology
Describing a plant, animal, or disease that spreads quickly into new areas and harms what already lives there.
Grammar: Often comes before a noun: invasive species.
Patterns
- an invasive species
- invasive plants
Invasive vines smothered the native trees.
Scientists track invasive species in the lake.
The invasive beetle destroyed whole forests.
adjectivecomparablemedical
Involving cutting into the body or putting an instrument inside it.
Grammar: Compare with non-invasive: invasive surgery.
Patterns
- invasive surgery
- an invasive procedure
The test is invasive, so patients receive a mild sedative.
She chose a less invasive procedure.
Invasive surgery requires a longer recovery.
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Intruding unwelcome into someone's private life or personal space.
Grammar: Can describe questions, cameras, or habits: invasive questions.
Patterns
- invasive questions
- invasive of someone's privacy
The reporter asked invasive questions about her family.
Constant tracking by apps can feel invasive.
Some people find airport scans invasive.
Word forms
| comparative | more invasive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most invasive |
Common combinations
- invasive species
- Invasive species threaten native wildlife.
- minimally invasive
- Minimally invasive surgery leaves small scars.
- invasive procedure
- The doctor explained the invasive procedure.
- invasive plant
- The invasive plant clogged the river.
- highly invasive
- The weed is highly invasive.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intrusive
- Intrusive focuses on unwelcome interference in personal matters rather than medical or ecological spread.
- aggressive
- Aggressive is a loose word for spreading fast, while invasive names harm to a new habitat.
- nosy
- Nosy is informal and describes people who pry, not procedures or plants.
- encroaching
- Encroaching describes a slow advance into a space.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: invasive or evasive?
invasive vs evasive
Evasive means trying to avoid answering, which is unrelated to spreading or intruding.
Practice
Which term describes a plant brought from abroad that spreads and harms local ecosystems?
Choose one answer.
An invasive plant spreads aggressively and harms its new habitat. A native plant belongs there naturally.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “invasive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.