reductive

adjective
re·​duc·​tive | \ ri-ˈdək-tiv How to pronounce reductive (audio) \

Definition of reductive

1 : of, relating to, causing, or involving reduction
2 : of or relating to reductionism : reductionistic

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from reductive

reductively adverb
reductiveness noun

Examples of reductive in a Sentence

a reductive interpretation of the theory

Recent Examples on the Web

Some, however, criticized the film for a reductive take on racial issues, and the Shirley family denounced it as inaccurate. Justin Curto, PEOPLE.com, "5 Things to Know About 2019 MTV VMAs Host Sebastian Maniscalco," 26 Aug. 2019 Asian actors were still pigeonholed into narrow and reductive parts: Randall Park, for example, played doctors over and over again early in his career, including on Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Bold and the Beautiful. Andrew R. Chow, Time, "Crazy Rich Asians Kicked Down the Door. Now Asian Americans Are Fighting To Stay in the Room," 10 July 2019 That putting Swift's struggles with online haters and the LGBTQ+ community’s struggles with systemic bigotry under the same lyrical umbrella is reductive. Emma Grey Ellis, WIRED, "Stop Meme-ing Taylor Swift," 19 June 2019 Claws is the latest in a long line of shows and films that upend reductive stereotypes about fashion by using it as a tool to illuminate the many ways women relate to the world. Cate Young, Vox, "Claws is a love letter to the proud, strip mall–fabulous American woman," 2 Aug. 2019 To say this was a reductive summation of both of their work is an understatement. Soraya Roberts, Longreads, "This (Wo)Man’s Work," 19 July 2019 Visual and narrative complexity is a way of keeping the uninitiated out and also a way to diverge dramatically from the tendency in much of modernism toward reductive art-making with radically simple forms. Dallas News, "Texas artist Trenton Doyle Hancock builds a world in massive exhibition space," 19 July 2019 These stereotypes that preclude women from equal consideration for executive leadership contributes to a detrimental cycle that results in homogenous, reductive perspectives in creative spaces. Kwasi Boadi, Billboard, "Rising Execs Eye a More Inclusive Industry at American Express' Women in Music Leadership Academy," 24 June 2019 Luiselli’s reductive portrayal of the town’s gunfight reënactors, based on her trip to the O.K. Corral, seems to me like the equivalent of claiming, after a visit to Times Square, that people dressed as Disney characters represent New York City. Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, "The Mail," 29 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reductive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of reductive

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for reductive

reductive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of reductive

formal + often disapproving : dealing with or describing something complicated in a simple or too simple way

reductive

adjective
re·​duc·​tive | \ ri-ˈdək-tiv How to pronounce reductive (audio) \

Medical Definition of reductive

: of, relating to, causing, or involving reduction