adaptive
adaptive — adjective
1. describes a person, system, or design that can adjust the way it works in respon
describes a person, system, or design that can adjust the way it works in response to new conditions, like a thermostat that learns your habits or a manager who shifts plans when the market changes.
Lior is an adaptive teacher who changes her lessons when students seem confused.
adaptive + person noun describing flexible behaviour
The new car has adaptive headlights that turn with the steering wheel at night.
adaptive + product feature noun
Small companies must be adaptive to survive sudden changes in customer demand.
Quinn praised his daughter's adaptive thinking during the science fair challenge.
Modern factories use adaptive software that adjusts machine speed when supplies run low.
- adaptable
more common when describing people; 'adaptive' leans toward systems, technology, or methods
- flexible
broader, can mean willing to change plans; 'adaptive' implies actively responding to feedback
- responsive
stresses reaction speed; 'adaptive' adds the idea of learning or improving over time
- rigid
refuses to change methods even when conditions shift
- inflexible
broader; cannot or will not be adjusted
文法句型
adaptive + noun
be adaptive to + noun
用法筆記
Frequently modifies system or design nouns (software, learning, control, headlights), or abstract nouns about behaviour (thinking, approach, leadership). Distinguish from sense 2: this everyday sense is about quick, intentional adjustments, while sense 2 describes slow biological change across generations.
常見錯誤
2. in biology, used to describe a body part, behaviour, or trait that has slowly de
in biology, used to describe a body part, behaviour, or trait that has slowly developed over many generations because it helps a plant or animal stay alive in its surroundings — for example, the thick fur of a polar bear or the long beak of a hummingbird.
The snow leopard's thick fur is an adaptive trait that traps body heat.
adaptive trait — biology collocation
Dr. Sven studies the adaptive value of bright colours on tropical frogs.
adaptive value — common in evolutionary biology
Long necks gave early giraffes an adaptive advantage when they reached for tall leaves.
Camouflage on the moth's wings is widely seen as an adaptive response to hungry birds.
- evolutionary
broader; covers any change shaped by natural selection, not just helpful ones
- advantageous
general benefit term; 'adaptive' specifically links the benefit to surviving in an environment
- maladaptive
trait that lowers, rather than raises, chances of survival
文法句型
adaptive + biological noun
用法筆記
Common in biology and evolutionary science writing; pairs almost exclusively with nouns like trait, feature, advantage, value, response, radiation. Distinguish from sense 1: changes here happen across many generations through natural selection, not within one lifetime.