con·sump·tive
kən-ˈsəm(p)-tiv 
1
: tending to consume
2
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption
consumptively
adverb
: a person affected with consumption
Examples of consumptive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Melissa Febos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
If anything, competitive eating became just another way to fold in on myself like a piece of dough, to reframe the consumptive appetites that led to fights, a DWI, and stints of flunking out of college.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 12 July 2024
Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The fresh air and mineral springs near St. Helena were reputed to be healthy for consumptives, and staying rent-free in a ghost town appealed to Louis’s imagination.
—Phyllis Rose, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2024
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Adjective
Suddenly, even adult celebrities looked like consumptive children.
—Melissa Febos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
If anything, competitive eating became just another way to fold in on myself like a piece of dough, to reframe the consumptive appetites that led to fights, a DWI, and stints of flunking out of college.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 12 July 2024
Noun
The wind sighs three strong children, one consumptive and two gone.
—Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The fresh air and mineral springs near St. Helena were reputed to be healthy for consumptives, and staying rent-free in a ghost town appealed to Louis’s imagination.
—Phyllis Rose, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for consumptive
Dictionary Entries Near consumptive
Cite this Entry
“Consumptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumptive. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
consumptive
1 of 2 adjective
con·sump·tive
kən-ˈsəm(p)-tiv
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption
consumptive
2 of 2 noun
: a person who has consumption
Medical Definition
consumptive
1 of 2 adjective
con·sump·tive
-ˈsəm(p)-tiv
: of, relating to, or affected with consumption
a consumptive cough
a consumptive child
consumptively
adverb
consumptive
2 of 2 noun
: an individual affected with consumption
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