reactive
part of speech
adjective (reactive, more reactive, most reactive)
meaning for a pupil
1) (science) Likely to change quickly when it meets another substance; a reactive metal like sodium reacts strongly with water. tree →
2) Acting only after something has happened, instead of planning ahead (the opposite of "proactive"). tree →
3) Easily upset or quick to respond strongly to things, like a reactive dog that barks at everything. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons, the reactivity series lists metals from most reactive (potassium, sodium) to least reactive (gold, platinum) — gold stays shiny because it is not reactive. In everyday life, a reactive person or team waits for problems and then fixes them, while a proactive one prevents them. Phrases: highly reactive, reactive metal, reactive to light, reactive rather than proactive.
examples
- Sodium is so reactive that it fizzes and bursts into flame in water. tree →
- Gold is not very reactive, so it does not rust. tree →
- Our dog is reactive and barks at every bike. tree →
- Don't just be reactive — plan ahead before problems happen. tree →
- Some sunglasses are reactive to light and darken in the sun. tree →
- Potassium is more reactive than iron. tree →
note
Opposite in science: unreactive or inert. Opposite in behaviour: proactive. Noun: reactivity (science) or reaction. Do not confuse "reactive" (likely to react) with "radioactive" (giving off radiation).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «reactive» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.