Adaptive means having the ability or tendency to adapt to different situations.
[formal]
Societies need to develop highly adaptive behavioural rules for survival.
adaptive in American English
(əˈdæptɪv)
adjective
1.
showing adaptation
2.
able to adapt
Derived forms
adaptively (aˈdaptively)
adverb
adaptive in Mechanical Engineering
(ədæptɪv)
adjective
(Mechanical engineering: Control, instrumentation and metrology)
Adaptive is used to describe systems that can change their parameters as the conditions change.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ control~ system
Adaptive cruise control can adjust the speed of the car in relation to the vehicle ahead.
An adaptive controller modifies its characteristics to deal with new situations.
Adaptive is used to describe systems that can change their parameters as the conditions change.
Examples of 'adaptive' in a sentence
adaptive
There’s the adaptive immune system, which works by being exposed to a specific pathogen.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
The speed of the car will be controlled using technology such as adaptive cruise control.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Plus you can get adaptive cruise control for long motorway journeys.
The Sun (2014)
Its adaptive cruise control keeps a set distance from the vehicle in front.
The Sun (2015)
It is extremely difficult to see how these phenomena can be regarded as examples of "increased adaptive capacity.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
We're almost there already with adaptive cruise control and lane assist using camera and radar.
The Sun (2014)
One easy button to save your licence (adaptive cruise control with traffic sign recognition.
The Sun (2016)
As battle continues both sides will adapt and the interplay of these two adaptive systems produces the combat dynamics of movement and attrition.
McInnes, Colin NATO's Changing Strategic Agenda (1990)
Some cars already have adaptive cruise control, slowing down automatically if they get too close to the car in front.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The car handles with assurance and the adaptive 4x4 system means no more of the torque steer that plagued previous models.
The Sun (2009)
Two of the things I love about it are the electronic handbrake and the adaptive cruise control.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Or you can set the adaptive cruise control to maintain a selected safe distance, get too close and the car automatically brakes for you.
The Sun (2006)
They are typically invasive, highly adaptive, parasitic and adept at mimicking more benign plants.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
It also benefits from a host of safety options normally found on executive cars, from adaptive cruise control to city emergency braking and park assist.
The Sun (2012)
Because of their superior adaptive capacity, H. erectus was able to adjust to a wider variety of environments.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
Most models will be fitted with adaptive cruise control, which will match the car's speed to that of traffic ahead.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The next step is adaptive cruise control, where it's adapting the speed according to the distance from the car in front.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Within the first few miles I find the thing that is most impressive: the adaptive cruise control.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This technology grew out of adaptive cruise control (which uses the same sort of sensors to maintain a safe distance from the car in front).