adj, noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   a substance, such as glue, that provides or promotes adhesion countable, uncountable

   "The label wouldn’t stick without strong adhesive."

2. 2
   a substance that unites or bonds surfaces together wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Sticky; tenacious, as glutinous substances.

   "adhesive material"

2. 2
   Apt or tending to adhere; clinging.

Adjective

1. 1
   tending to adhere wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

adherentgluegooeymucilaginousstickytenacious

Antonyms

All antonyms

nonadhesivenonstickingnonstickyslippery

Example

More examples

"Scotch brand is a type of adhesive tape."

Etymology

From French adhésif, from Medieval Latin adhaesivus, from adhaereō (supine adhaesum); see adhere.

Related phrases

adhesive bandageadhesive capsulitisadhesive tapedenture adhesivehot melt adhesiveself-adhesive

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.