costive
9.9
Having trouble passing stools
- adjective
- /ˈkɒstɪv/
- Formal
:
costivo
- The doctor warned that certain pain relievers might be costive and advised drinking plenty of water.
Examples
-
The medication was too costive, causing him discomfort and bloating.
-
But what if he's costive or flatulent?
Fiction book (1991) -
I've heard that before, to mean drunk, but not costive.
Fiction book (1992) -
Paul Bertram's prose style, always carefully measured, had become, toward the end of his life, more tentative, hesitant, and even costive than before.
Fiction book (1996) -
After a week of not eating fruits or vegetables, her diet became costive.
Synonyms
constipated
vscostive
15
5.1
Not able to pass stool easily
also can mean causing constipation as well as being slow to evacuate
2
8.9
Unable to pass waste from the body easily
also applies to things that cause constipation as well as the person
Antonyms
How Constipated
Surface Forms
costive positive
Etymology
The word costive comes from the Latin constipare, made of con- 'together' and stipare 'to press'. Imagine everything in your gut pressed tightly together so nothing can move; that is why costive means 'constipated' or slow to pass waste and why it shares the same root as constipation.