# invasive

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɪnˈveɪsɪv/ · frequency rank #11,404

## Definitions
1. Of or pertaining to invasion; offensive.
2. That invades a foreign country using military force; also, militarily aggressive.
3. Intrusive on one's privacy, rights, sphere of activity, etc.
4. Originating externally.
5. Of an animal or plant: that grows (especially uncontrollably) in environments which do not harbour natural enemies, often to the detriment of native species or of food or garden flora and fauna.
6. Of a procedure: involving the entry of an instrument into part of the body.
7. Of a carcinoma or other abnormal growth: that invades healthy tissue, especially rapidly.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *h₁én
The adjective is derived from Middle English invasif (“of a weapon: offensive”), from Middle French invasif, Old French invasif (“invasive”) (modern French invasif), from Medieval Latin invāsīvus, from Latin invāsus (“entered; invaded”) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives). Invāsus is the perfect passive participle of invādō (“to enter; to invade”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’) + vādō (“to go; to rush; to walk”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂dʰ- (“to go, proceed; to pass, traverse”)).
The noun is derived from the adjective.

## Easily confused with
- **invasion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/invasion-vs-invasive)
- **incisive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/incisive-vs-invasive)

## Common misspellings (11)
`inavsive`, `innvasive`, `invaisve`, `invasiev`, `invasivve`, `invassive`, `invasvie`, `invsaive`, `invvasive`, `ivnasive`, `nivasive`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/invasive