adaptive
/əˈdæp.tɪv/adjective
adaptive is spelled A-D-A-P-T-I-V-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, adaptive means “Of, pertaining to, characterized by or showing adaptation; making or made fit or suitable” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in adaptive?
| Letters | 8: A-D-A-P-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.1 times per million words; the 12,764th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is adaptive?
Adaptive appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce adaptive?
- US /əˈdæp.tɪv/
Adaptive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-adaptive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of adaptive
- more adaptive comparative
- most adaptive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does adaptive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, pertaining to, characterized by or showing adaptation; making or made fit or suitable.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it issued a final rule allowing what’s called “adaptive driving beam headlights” on new vehicles. It will go into effect when published in the Federal Register in the next few days.
- 2
Capable of being adapted or of adapting; susceptible of or undergoing accordant change.
- 3
Of a trait: that helps an organism to function well in its environment.
- 4
Of a trait: that helps a person to function well in society.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Adaptive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | adaptatif , adaptable |
| German | adaptiv |
| Portuguese | adaptativo |
| Spanish | adaptativo , adaptable |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.