What does "transitive" mean?
A transitive verb.
Transitive
/ˈtɹænzɪtɪv/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A transitive verb.
- Grammar: transitive is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: adjectival, adverbial, attributive, auxiliary.
- Useful contrasts: unaccusative, unergative, intransitive.
- Usage evidence: With verbs there are intransitive verbs that don't take an object, and transitive verbs that do take an object.
How to use "transitive"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "transitive" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "transitive" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "transitive" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "transitive" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "transitive" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adjectival" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "transitive", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A transitive verb.
"This means that subcategorization properties do not allow us to distinguish between transitives and intransitives (both types of verbs are allowed, but not obliged, to take a direct object)."
- 2 a verb (or verb construction) that requires an object in order to be grammatical wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Making a transit or passage. not-comparable
"For all symbols are fluxional; all language is vehicular and transitive, and is good, as ferries and horses are, for conveyance, not as farms and houses are, for homestead."
- 2 Affected by transference of signification. not-comparable
"By far the greater part of the transitive or derivative applications of words depend on casual and unaccountable caprices of the feelings or the fancy."
- 3 Taking a direct object or objects. not-comparable
"The English verb "to notice" is a transitive verb, because we say things like "She noticed a problem"."
- 4 Having the property that if an element a is related to b and b is related to c, then a is necessarily related to c. not-comparable
""Is an ancestor of" is a transitive relation: if Alice is an ancestor of Bob, and Bob is an ancestor of Carol, then Alice is an ancestor of Carol."
- 5 Such that, for any two elements of the acted-upon set, some group element maps the first to the second. not-comparable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Such that, for any two vertices there exists an automorphism which maps one to the other. not-comparable
- 7 Of a set of dice: not having the intransitive property. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 designating a verb that requires a direct object to complete the meaning wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"With verbs there are intransitive verbs that don't take an object, and transitive verbs that do take an object."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "transitive"?
Common synonyms include: adjectival, adverbial, attributive, auxiliary, auxiliary verb, brittle.
How do you use "transitive" in a sentence?
With verbs there are intransitive verbs that don't take an object, and transitive verbs that do take an object.
How do you pronounce "transitive"?
Pronounced /ˈtɹænzɪtɪv/.
Etymology
From Latin trānsitīvus, from trānsitus, from trāns (“across”) + itus, from eō (“to go”).