factive

American

[fak-tiv] / ˈfæk tɪv /

adjective

(of a verb, adjective, or noun phrase) presupposing the truth of an embedded sentence that serves as complement, as realize in I didn't realize that he had left, which presupposes that it is true that he had left.

noun

a factive expression.

factive British

/ ˈfæktɪv /

adjective

logic linguistics philosophy (of a linguistic context) giving rise to the presupposition that a sentence occurring in that context is true, as John regrets that Mary did not attend

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

factivity noun

Etymology

Origin of factive

First recorded in 1605–15; fact + -ive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Other drugs affected included the chest infection treatment Factive; Bactroban ointment, an antibiotic used to treat skin infections in babies; Kytril, an anti-nausea injection for cancer patients; and Tagamet, for heartburn and peptic ulcers.

From The Guardian

The two products – the diabetes treatment, Avandamet, and Factive, which is used for chest infections – were subsequently approved by the regulator.

From The Guardian

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023