Meaning & use
reductive
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Meanings
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Making something complicated seem simpler than it is, so that important details are lost.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a reductive argument; the view is reductive.
Patterns
- reductive view of something
- reductive argument
It is reductive to say that the war had one single cause.
The review gave a reductive reading of the novel.
Calling the issue a matter of money is reductive.
adjectivebefore a nounchemistry
Relating to a chemical reduction, in which a substance gains electrons or loses oxygen.
Grammar: Technical, used before a noun: a reductive process.
Patterns
- reductive process
The reductive step turns the metal oxide into pure metal.
Reductive conditions prevent rust from forming.
Word forms
| comparative | more reductive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most reductive |
Common combinations
- reductive view
- That is a reductive view of her work.
- reductive argument
- The reductive argument ignores history.
- overly reductive
- The summary is overly reductive.
- reductive reading
- A reductive reading misses the humor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- simplistic
- Simplistic criticizes a view as too simple; reductive suggests it shrinks a complex thing to one aspect.
- oversimplified
- Oversimplified is plainer and more common, with no suggestion of boiling down to one element.
Opposites
Word family
- reduce verb
- to make smaller or simpler
- reductively adverb
- in a reductive way
- reductionism noun
- the habit of explaining complex things by simple parts
Commonly confused: reductive or productive?
reductive vs productive
Productive means achieving a lot; reductive means oversimplifying.
Practice
Saying the book is just about money is ___, because it also explores family and loss.
Choose one answer.
Reductive means squeezing a complex work into one simple idea. 'Nuanced' and 'comprehensive' mean the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reductive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.