Word
recursive
Phoneticsre·cur·sive, stress on the second syllable
/ˌɹiˈkɝsɪv/
Definitions
01referring back to itself
C1 · Advanced Academic
adj. describes a process or rule that refers back to itself, often creating a repeating pattern.
adj. pertaining to a process, rule, or definition that invokes or refers back to itself, often resulting in self-similarity.
“The artist created a recursive image of a painter painting a picture of himself.”
“The novel's recursive structure, where characters read a book about their own lives, creates a complex layer of meta-fiction.”
Synonyms
02computing/math
C1 · Advanced Computing Technical
adj. describes a computer program or math rule that calls or uses itself to solve a problem.
adj. relating to a function, algorithm, or subroutine that calls itself until a base condition is met.
“The programmer used a recursive function to calculate the total sum of the list.”
“Recursive algorithms are particularly efficient for traversing tree structures, though they require careful management of the call stack to avoid overflow errors.”
Usage
Usually non-gradable; a function is either recursive or it is not.
Synonyms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from New Latin recursīvus. Equivalent to recurse + -ive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/recursive