invasive
Americanadjective
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characterized by or involving invasion; offensive.
invasive war.
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invading, or tending to invade; intrusive.
Every party we have is crashed by those invasive neighbors.
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Medicine/Medical. requiring the entry of a needle, catheter, or other instrument into a part of the body, especially in a diagnostic procedure, as a biopsy.
An x-ray is not invasive, but it may not tell us everything we need to know.
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(of a plant, especially a nonnative one) posing a threat to a plant community by growing vigorously and spreading prolifically among the previously established vegetation.
One of these invasive Asian grasses is making its way to the forest floors of southern Indiana.
adjective
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of or relating to an invasion, intrusion, etc
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relating to or denoting cancer at the stage at which it has spread from its site of origin to other tissues
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(of surgery) involving making a relatively large incision in the body to gain access to the target of the surgery, as opposed to making a small incision or gaining access endoscopically through a natural orifice
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Relating to a disease or condition that has a tendency to spread, especially a malignant cancer that spreads into healthy tissue.
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Relating to a medical procedure in which a part of the body is entered, as by puncture or incision.
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Not native to and tending to spread widely in a habitat or environment. Invasive species often have few natural predators or other biological controls in their new environment. Although not always considered harmful to an environment, invasive species can become agricultural or ecological pests and can displace native species from their habitats. Invasive species are often introduced to an environment unintentionally, as the zebra mussel was to the Great Lakes, but are sometimes introduced for a purpose, as kudzu was to the southern US, where it was originally planted to control erosion.
Other Word Forms
- uninvasive adjective
Etymology
Origin of invasive
First recorded in 1580–1600; French invasif, from Medieval Latin invāsīvus, derivative of Latin invāsus, past participle of invādere “to come into, go into, usurp, attack,” invasion, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The findings could help explain why some cancer cells are highly invasive.
From Science Daily
Tina, 59, is battling a uterine infection and Billy, 40, could face invasive sperm extractions, according to Courtney Scott, veteran elephant consultant with In Defense of Animals.
From Los Angeles Times
Working with other volunteers, Smee has helped remove invasive plants and plant native species, including 30 oak trees that attract local wildlife like the endangered monarch butterfly, mountain lions and bobcats.
From Los Angeles Times
"If the trade volume of invasive ants continues to grow, it's only a matter of time before a few escape from their formicaria and become established in the wild," said Wang.
From BBC
Species around the world are vanishing at an accelerating pace, driven by climate change, habitat destruction, and invasive species.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
