Skip to main content
inversive

inversive

9.1
Relating to a change that makes something reversed in math or chemistry
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈvɜːrsɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : inversivo
  • In mathematics, an inversive operation can reverse the effects of a previous function.

Examples

  • The inversive process in chemistry allows for the transformation of one compound into another.

  • Once again, he contemplated the inversive nature.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • In his treatment of Maidu clowns, Robert Brightman notes that inversive social phenomena tend to be viewed two ways.

    Academic text (2013)
  • As Robert Brightman notes, the underside of inversive phenomena can be genuinely dangerous to the social order, and Evil Santa can at times elicit an unfettered play of personal cupidity and selfishness.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Her study on inversive relationships revealed how oppositional forces can lead to balance.

Synonyms

reversed
vsinversive
3.4

Turned the other way or placed in the opposite order

is about technical processes that make something opposite in form or order
inverted
vsinversive
4.8

Placed or turned so the top and bottom are swapped

is about technical processes that make something opposite in form or relation

Surface Forms

inversive positive

Morphology

inversive = inverse (transparent) = inverse + ive

Formed from the familiar adjective 'inverse' with the adjectival suffix '-ive', indicating 'relating to inversion', which is directly guessable from the base.

Etymology

Inversive comes from the parts in- ('in' or 'into') and vers ('to turn'), the same root you see in common words like invert and reverse. So, inversive describes something about 'turning' or changing to the opposite, which fits its use for inversion in math or chemistry.