consumptive

1 of 2

adjective

con·​sump·​tive kən-ˈsəm(p)-tiv How to pronounce consumptive (audio)
1
: tending to consume
2
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption
consumptively adverb

consumptive

2 of 2

noun

: a person affected with consumption

Examples of consumptive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
That sort of consumptive nature has really changed the industry. Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Aug. 2023 In 1899, economist and socialist Thorstein Veblen’s Theory of the Leisure Class surmised that all consumptive acts in a market economy are intended to signal a particular status. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 14 June 2023 The wildlife commission in Arizona, for example, is exclusively made up of hunters, and as a result, sees consumptive users as its main constituency. Lindsey Botts, The Arizona Republic, 1 July 2022 Farming uses the largest chunk of water supply, accounting for 80% of consumptive water use in the U.S. and more than 90% in many Western states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and would likely be the first casualty if supply in the West were strained. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 12 July 2021 This means increasing the amount of water that can be stored in reservoirs and holding ponds, building irrigation systems on farmland and streamlining water usage across the board to be more efficient and less consumptive. Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2022 All this suggests that Gore might not be the best face for a climate movement that routinely calls on the world to curtail economic growth and downsize its consumptive ways. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2013 The investigation leads them down a path of black magic, and of romance: our youthful, morbid poet goes all knock-kneed for Dr. Marquis’ daughter, the gorgeously consumptive Lea (Lucy Boynton). Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 Dec. 2022 The most festive time of year – the winter holidays – is also the most consumptive. Xander Peters, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2022
Noun
Young rural migrant workers, hoping to get noticed, made videos that exaggerated the consumptive excesses of city life. Oscar Schwartz, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2023 For our selfish and fuel-consumptive back-road business—conducted on some of the very tight 10Best Roads of the Southeast (C/D, January 1998)—we ignored the Corvette's top three gears, saving them for highway cruising. Phil Berg, Car and Driver, 30 Dec. 2022 The paper in Science noted that any additional consumptive uses in the Upper Basin will decrease inflows into Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 21 July 2022 Drawing on these earlier traditions, today’s solidarity tourism groups push back against travel as a consumptive industry that can be environmentally and socially destructive. Zeb Larson, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Mar. 2022 Our consumptive lifestyles are tied to people dying. Maia Wikler, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2021 Shivering is a normal reaction by which the body warms itself, but the act is energy consumptive. Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Oct. 2020 The new study alone can’t nail the consumptive connection, said Rika Anderson, a microbial ecologist at Carleton College in Minnesota who was not involved in the study. Katherine J. Wu New York Times, Star Tribune, 24 Sep. 2020 He was annoyed by a woman passenger, a fellow consumptive. Frances Mayes, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consumptive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1666, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of consumptive was in 1588

Dictionary Entries Near consumptive

Cite this Entry

“Consumptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumptive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

consumptive

1 of 2 adjective
con·​sump·​tive kən-ˈsəm(p)-tiv How to pronounce consumptive (audio)
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption

consumptive

2 of 2 noun
: a person who has consumption

Medical Definition

consumptive

1 of 2 adjective
con·​sump·​tive -ˈsəm(p)-tiv How to pronounce consumptive (audio)
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption
a consumptive cough
a consumptive child
consumptively adverb

consumptive

2 of 2 noun
: an individual affected with consumption
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