Word part · Latin suffix
The Latin suffix -ive
Means: tending to, or having the quality of.
At a glance
- Part
- -ive
- Meaning
- tending to, or having the quality of
- Layer
- Latin: Prefixes, suffixes and roots behind many school and book words.
Say it /ĭv/. English words do not end in v, so the e always stays at the end of -ive.
Example words
Read each word, then its sum: the parts that build it, and what they mean together.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
- act (root or base)+ive (suffix)→active
tending to act; busy and moving
- create (root or base)+ive (suffix)→creative
good at making new things
create + ive: drop the e → creative
- mass (root or base)+ive (suffix)→massive
having a lot of mass; very big and heavy
- invent (root or base)+ive (suffix)→inventive
good at inventing
- expense (root or base)+ive (suffix)→expensive
costing a lot of money
expense + ive: drop the e → expensive
- act (root or base)+ive (suffix)+ity (suffix)→activity
something you do; being active
act + ive + ity: drop the e → activity
- create (root or base)+ive (suffix)+ity (suffix)→creativity
being creative
create + ive + ity: drop the e → creativity
- in (prefix)+act (root or base)+ive (suffix)→inactive
not active
- in (prefix)+expense (root or base)+ive (suffix)→inexpensive
not expensive
in + expense + ive: drop the e → inexpensive
- dis (prefix)+rupt (root or base)+ive (suffix)→disruptive
tending to break up order
- con (prefix)+struct (root or base)+ive (suffix)→constructive
helping to build up or improve
- im (prefix)+puls (root or base)+ive (suffix)→impulsive
acting on a sudden push of feeling, without thinking first
im + puls + ive: the prefix changes to match → impulsive
Original word lists and meanings written by Literacy Trail.
Taught alongside
Parts that share a lesson with -ive.
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