consumptive

/kənˈsʌmptɪv/

//kənˈsʌmptɪv// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"consumptive" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“consumptive” is uncommon English (frequency #91,375 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,375
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a tendency to consume; dissipating; destructive; wasteful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-consumptive · consumptive · English

consumptive · rank #91,375 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,375
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Conolly

Nearest frequency peer: Conolly (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “consumptive”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “consumptive” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for consumptive
PropertyValue
Headwordconsumptive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kənˈsʌmptɪv/
Letters11
Frequency rank#91,375
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “consumptive” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).consumptivefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Conolly” (#91,374), “contort” (#91,376), “conker” (#91,373). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “consumptive” is #91,375. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

consumptive is uncommon English at frequency #91,375 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /kənˈsʌmptɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

consumptive doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English consumptive, from Latin cōnsūmptus, past participle of cōnsūmō, + -ive. The correct English form is consumptive, spelled C-O-N-S-U-M-P-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a tendency to consume; dissipating; destructive; wasteful.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to consumption.
  3. 3
    Relating to pulmonary tuberculosis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how consumptive appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. a long consumptive war
  2. [O]n ſome occaſions, he diſplayed all his fund of good humour, vvith a vievv to beguile her ſorrovv; he importuned her to give him the pleasure of ’ſquiring her to ſome place of innocent entertainment; and, finally, inſiſted upon her accepting a pecuniary reinforcement to her finances, vvhich he knevv to be in a moſt conſumptive condition.

Etymology

From Middle English consumptive, from Latin cōnsūmptus, past participle of cōnsūmō, + -ive.

This word in other languages

consumidor(Español)tuberculeux(Français)schwindsüchtig(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "consumptive"?
"consumptive" is spelled C-O-N-S-U-M-P-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈsʌmptɪv/.
What does "consumptive" mean?
As an adjective, "consumptive" means: Having a tendency to consume; dissipating; destructive; wasteful.
How do you pronounce "consumptive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "consumptive" is /kənˈsʌmptɪv/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "consumptive"?
From Middle English consumptive, from Latin cōnsūmptus, past participle of cōnsūmō, + -ive. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "consumptive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

commodified#91,371crackerjack#91,387cytogenetic#91,397Chessington#91,351

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list