reactive

adjective re·ac·tive \rē-ˈak-tiv\

: done in response to a problem or situation : reacting to problems when they occur instead of doing something to prevent them

chemistry : tending to change into something else when mixed with another substance

Full Definition of REACTIVE

: of, relating to, or marked by reaction or reactance

a : readily responsive to a stimulus

b : occurring as a result of stress or emotional upset <reactive depression>

— re·ac·tive·ly adverb

— re·ac·tive·ness noun

— re·ac·tiv·i·ty \(ˌ)rē-ˌak-ˈti-və-tē\ noun

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First Known Use of REACTIVE

1794

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

Rhymes with REACTIVE

abstractive, attractive, contractive, detractive, distractive, extractive, impactive, inactive, proactive, protractive, refractive, subtractive

Medical Dictionary

reactive

adjective re·ac·tive \rē-ˈak-tiv\

Medical Definition of REACTIVE

a : of, relating to, or marked by reaction <reactive symptoms> <a reactive process> b : capable of reacting chemically <highly reactive materials>

a : readily responsive to a stimulus <the skin of the geriatric is less reactive than that of younger persons—Louis Tuft> b : occurring as a result of stress or emotional upset especially from factors outside the organism <reactive depression>