alterative
/ˈɔl.tɚˌaɪ.tɪv/noun, adjective
alterative is spelled A-L-T-E-R-A-T-I-V-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 30 million words in written English, the 167,786th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, alterative means “A medicine or treatment which works by changing processes within the body, rather than by evacuating something etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of alterative is alteratives.
How many letters and syllables are in alterative?
| Letters | 10: A-L-T-E-R-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 30 million words; the 167,786th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is alterative?
Alterative appears about once in every 30 million words in written English, the 167,786th 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 alterative?
- UK /ˈɒl.tɹə.tɪv/
- UK /ˈɒl.tə.ɹə.tɪv/
- US /ˈɔl.tɚˌaɪ.tɪv/
Alterative has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of alterative
- alteratives plural
- more alterative comparative
- most alterative superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does alterative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A medicine or treatment which works by changing processes within the body, rather than by evacuating something etc.
adjective
- 1
Causing alteration.
- 2
Gradually changing, or tending to change, a morbid state into a healthy one.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Alterative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense causing alteration:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | altérateur |
| Portuguese | alterativo, alterante, alterador |
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.
Where does alterative come from?
From Latin alterativum, noun use of alterativus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).