Meaning & use
resistive
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounphysics
Relating to electrical resistance, meaning something that opposes the flow of current.
Grammar: Almost always placed before a noun: a resistive load.
Patterns
- resistive load
- resistive element
A toaster is a resistive load because its wires heat up as current passes.
The engineer chose a resistive element to turn electricity into heat.
The circuit has both resistive and capacitive parts.
adjectivecomparablerare
Tending to resist or oppose something, such as a change or a force.
Grammar: Less common than resistant; usually followed by to.
Patterns
- resistive to something
The committee was resistive to any change in the schedule.
Residents stayed resistive to the proposal for months.
His resistive tone made it clear he would not agree.
Common combinations
- resistive load
- A heater is a simple resistive load on the supply.
- resistive heating
- Resistive heating warms the wire in the oven.
- resistive touchscreen
- Older tablets used a resistive touchscreen that responded to pressure.
- resistive circuit
- In a purely resistive circuit, voltage and current rise and fall together.
- resistive force
- Air produces a resistive force against a falling object.
Synonyms and how they differ
- resistant
- Resistant is the ordinary word for being able to withstand something, such as heat or disease, whereas resistive is mostly technical.
- opposing
- Opposing is general and refers to people or forces acting against each other, without the electrical meaning.
- obstructive
- Obstructive suggests deliberately blocking progress, while resistive describes a built-in property or tendency.
Opposites
Word family
- resist verb
- to oppose or withstand something
- resistance noun
- opposition, or the property opposing electric current
- resistor noun
- a component that adds electrical resistance to a circuit
- resistivity noun
- a measure of how strongly a material opposes current
- resistively adverb
- in a resistive manner
Commonly confused: resistive or resistant? resistive or resilient?
resistive vs resistant
Resistant describes ability to withstand something, as in water-resistant; resistive describes opposing electric current or being inclined to resist.
resistive vs resilient
Resilient means able to recover quickly after trouble, which is a different idea.
Practice
In electronics, a toaster's heating wires are an example of a ___ load.
Choose one answer.
A resistive load turns electrical energy into heat by opposing current. Capacitive and inductive loads store energy in fields, and reactive is a general term for those.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “resistive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.