additive

additive — noun

1. a substance put into food or another product in a small amount to change its tas

1.nounC1
Definition

a substance put into food or another product in a small amount to change its taste, colour, keeping quality, or some other feature.

Example

The label says this juice has no artificial additives at all.

common collocation: artificial additives

Factory workers add a yellow additive to keep the cheese bright.

additive + to-infinitive of purpose

Common collocations
  • food additive
  • artificial additive
  • chemical additive
  • natural additive
  • additive-free
Synonyms
  • preservative

    narrower; used specifically to help food stay fresh longer

  • coloring

    narrower; used mainly for changing colour

  • flavoring

    narrower; used mainly for changing taste or smell

Grammar Patterns

an additive

additives in food

Usage Note

Usually used for a substance added in a small quantity. In everyday English, it most often refers to food, even though the word can also be used for fuel, paint, or medicine.

Common Mistakes

This juice has many additive.
This juice has many additives.
use the plural form after 'many'.
This powder is an ingredient for soup color.
This powder is a food additive for color.
an additive is a substance added to change a product, not just any ingredient.

additive — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all refer to something put into food or another product, but they are not interchangeable. 'Additive' is the broad word: it can describe any substance added to change taste, colour, texture, or how long something keeps. 'Preservative' is narrower and focuses on keeping food fresh or safe for longer. 'Coloring' is mainly about changing appearance, while 'flavoring' is used to change taste or smell. So a soft drink may contain several additives, including coloring for a brighter look and flavoring for a fruit taste. If a package says 'no preservatives', that only rules out one type of additive, not every added substance.

additive ↗preservativecoloringflavoring

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Built from the same Latin root as 'add'. The base verb was Latin 'addere', meaning 'put to' or 'join to'. English later formed 'additive' to describe something connected with adding, especially in mathematics and science. From that idea, the noun sense developed for a substance put into another material in a small amount to change how it behaves, looks, or keeps.