extractive
/ɪksˈtɹæktɪv/
extractive adjective: that serves to extract something.
Adjective
extractive (comparative more extractive, superlative most extractive)
- That serves to extract something
- Certain branches of industry are conveniently designated extractive: e.g., agriculture, pastoral and mining pursuits, cutting of lumber, etc.1874, John Elliott Cairnes, Some Leading Principles of Political Economy, newly Expounded
- That withdraws natural resources by extraction
- The extractive industry consists of any operations that remove metals, mineral and aggregates from the earth. Examples of extractive processes include oil and gas extraction, mining, dredging and quarrying.2014, BusinessDictionary.com
- Able to be extracted
- Thirty grains of extractive matter.1796, Richard Kirwan, The Manures Most Advantageously Applicable to the Various Sorts of Soils
Noun
extractive (plural extractives)
- Something that may be extracted
- The substance left behind after something has been extracted
Forms of extractive
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more extractive |
| superlative | most extractive |
| Noun | |
| plural | extractives |
Origin of extractive
From extract + -ive.
Words formed from extractive
- agroextractive
- extractive distillation
- extractively
- extractiveness
- extractive principle
- extractivism
- extractivist
- nonextractive
Words that rhyme with extractive
- active
- inactive
- reactive
- attractive
- protractive
- abstractive
- factive
- hyperactive
- interactive
- radioactive
- subtractive
- unattractive
14 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about extractive
- What does extractive mean?
- Extractive means that serves to extract something.
- What part of speech is extractive?
- Extractive can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce extractive?
- Extractive is pronounced /ɪksˈtɹæktɪv/.
Words near extractive in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: extractive (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-extractive.wav.
Cite this entry: “extractive.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/extractive. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.