ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Word parts›Suffixes›-ive
SuffixLatin
-ive
turns a verb or root into an adjective meaning tending to, able to, or serving to do it
Latin -ivus marked tendency or function: persuasive words persuade, defensive walls defend, and a retentive memory keeps what it receives.
Words built from it
- constructive — helpful and intended to improve something
construct- (build together) + -ive (tending or serving to) - defensive — intended to protect against attack or criticism
defens- (ward off) + -ive (serving to) - persuasive — able to convince someone
persuas- (convince) + -ive (able or tending to) - assertive — confident in expressing needs or opinions
assert- (state firmly) + -ive (tending to) - pensive — deeply thoughtful, often with sadness
pens- (weigh or think) + -ive (tending to) - retentive — able to keep information or material
retent- (hold or keep) + -ive (able to)
Looks like it, but is not
- alive — from Old English on life 'in life,' not the Latin -ive suffix
- diverse — from Latin diversus 'turned different ways,' not the -ive suffix
Drill this word part in the app
More suffixes
- -ist — turns a field, practice, or belief into a noun for a person associated with it
- -ity — turns an adjective or root into a noun naming a state or quality
- -ize — turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning make, become, or treat in that way
- -less — turns a noun into an adjective meaning without or lacking it
- -ment — turns a verb into a noun naming the action, result, or means