invasive
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describes a plant or animal that spreads quickly in a new place and harms the local environment.
adj.relating to a non-native species that spreads prolifically, often outcompeting indigenous flora or fauna and disrupting the local ecosystem.
Simple“The park is struggling to remove invasive weeds that are killing the local flowers.”
In context“Ecologists are concerned that the introduction of invasive carp will permanently alter the river's biodiversity by depleting the primary food sources of native fish.”
Synonymsencroachingnon nativeAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describes medical treatment or a test that involves cutting the skin or putting a tool inside the body.
adj.denoting a medical procedure that requires the entry of an instrument or substance into the body, typically through an incision or a natural orifice.
Simple“The doctor suggested a scan first because it is less invasive than surgery.”
In context“While the diagnostic benefits are significant, the patient was hesitant to undergo such an invasive procedure without exploring more conservative treatment options first.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.entering your private life or space in an annoying or upsetting way.
adj.tending to intrude on a person's privacy, autonomy, or individual rights.
Simple“The new security cameras felt very invasive to the people living in the building.”
In context“Critics argue that the new data-collection laws are unnecessarily invasive and grant the government too much access to private digital communications.”
Antonymsrespectfulunobtrusive - 04 C1 Advanced
adj.describes a disease or cancer that spreads quickly into healthy parts of the body.
adj.referring to a pathological growth, particularly a carcinoma, that spreads into and destroys healthy surrounding tissue.
Simple“The tests showed that the cancer was invasive and had reached the nearby organs.”
In context“The biopsy confirmed that the tumor was an invasive ductal carcinoma, necessitating a more aggressive course of chemotherapy and radiation.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
n.a plant or animal that has moved into a new area and is causing problems.
n.an organism that is not native to a specific location and has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment.
Simple“Gardeners are encouraged to pull up any invasives they find to protect the local woods.”
In context“The management plan focuses on the early detection and rapid response to new invasives before they can establish self-sustaining populations in the wetlands.”
Usage invasive species
“Billions of invasive round goby are in the Great Lakes.”
“The brown tree snake has become one of the world's best-known examples of an invasive species.”
PIE word *h₁én The adjective is derived from Middle English invasif (“of a weapon: offensive”), from Middle French invasif, Old French invasif (“invasive”) (modern French invasif), from Medieval Latin invāsīvus, from Latin invāsus (“entered; invaded”) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives). Invāsus is the perfect passive participle of invādō (“to enter; to invade”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’) + vādō (“to go; to rush; to walk”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂dʰ- (“to go, proceed; to pass, traverse”)). The noun is derived from the adjective.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.