multiplicative

[ muhl-tuh-pli-key-tiv, muhl-tuh-plik-uh- ]

adjective

1. tending to multiply or increase, or having the power to multiply:

   Smoking and asbestos exposure have a multiplicative effect on your risk of getting lung cancer.

2. Mathematics of or relating to multiplication.
3. relating to or noting a word or affix that indicates multiplication, as triple, threefold, or tri-.

multiplicative

/ ˈmʌltɪplɪˌkeɪtɪv; ˌmʌltɪˈplɪkətɪv /

adjective

1. tending or able to multiply
2. maths involving multiplication

Derived Forms

• ˈmultipliˌcatively, adverb

Other Words From

• mul·ti·pli·ca·tive·ly adverb
• non·mul·ti·pli·ca·tive adjective
• non·mul·ti·pli·ca·tive·ly adverb
• un·mul·ti·pli·ca·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of multiplicative¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from Medieval Latin multiplicātīvus; multiplicate, -ive

Example Sentences

This onslaught of disruption has a multiplicative effect on the bacteria, she added, making it 10 to 1000 times more difficult for them to develop resistance compared to conventional antibiotics.

From Science Daily

The special thing about the conjecture is that it combines the additive and multiplicative properties of natural numbers.

From Scientific American

Beginning in March 2020 that was changed to additive factors, before switching back to multiplicative models as the large effects of the pandemic on the claims series lessened.

From Reuters

Whrere are the compelling, immediate uses of the metaverse that showcase that multiplicative effect, beyond just getting to the Boeing simulation faster?

From The Verge

That has, slowly, turned this into soccer’s age of the multiplicative.

From New York Times