augmentative
augmentative — adjective
- augmentativepositive
- more augmentativecomparative
- most augmentativesuperlative
1. describing something that has the power to make something else larger in amount,
describing something that has the power to make something else larger in amount, stronger in effect, or greater in degree — for example, a new medicine that boosts a patient's energy, or a training method that improves a team's performance.
A balanced diet offers augmentative benefits, helping your body fight illness more effectively.
augmentative benefits — typical collocation
The manager saw augmentative results after giving her team better tools and more time.
Marta's role on the team was augmentative — she helped everyone work more efficiently.
Tariq found that the extra tutoring had an augmentative effect on his understanding of algebra.
- enhancing
more common in everyday use; 'augmentative' is more formal
- increasing
broader and less technical
- supplementary
focuses on adding to what already exists rather than making it stronger
- diminishing
describes something that reduces rather than increases
- reductive
opposite in formal contexts
文法句型
augmentative + noun
be + augmentative
用法筆記
This sense is used in formal or academic writing about methods, treatments, or systems that improve or enlarge something. It is less common in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
2. in grammar, describing a suffix, prefix, or word form that shows that something
in grammar, describing a suffix, prefix, or word form that shows that something is big, and sometimes also suggests it is clumsy or unattractive — for example, the Italian suffix '-one' attached to nouns to indicate a larger size.
In Italian, '-one' is an augmentative suffix that turns 'libro' into 'librone' for a big book.
augmentative ending — common noun phrase
Saira studied how Spanish uses the augmentative suffix '-ón' to make words like 'casa' become 'casón'.
Languages with augmentative markers often also have diminutive forms that show small size.
Ryo learned that Portuguese augmentatives like '-ão' can add a feeling of clumsiness to the word.
- magnifying
less precise; informal synonym for the linguistic concept
- intensifying
overlaps but usually refers to adverbs or adjectives, not noun suffixes
- diminutive
the opposite morphological category — indicates small size
文法句型
augmentative + suffix / affix / ending / form
用法筆記
This is a technical term in linguistics. It is usually paired with 'diminutive', which indicates small size. Augmentative forms are common in Romance languages such as Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
augmentative — noun
1. a word, suffix, or prefix that is used to show that something is large, and ofte
a word, suffix, or prefix that is used to show that something is large, and often also suggests that it is awkward or not attractive — for example, the Spanish suffix '-ote' as in 'perrote' meaning a big dog.
The suffix '-one' in Italian is an augmentative that turns 'casa' into 'casone', a large house.
is a common augmentative — noun use
In her linguistics assignment, Adaeze listed five augmentatives from three different languages.
Spanish uses augmentatives like '-ón' and '-ote' to express that something is big or oversized.
The professor explained that augmentatives in Portuguese often carry a negative or humorous tone.
- augmentative affix
more precise term used in linguistic textbooks
- augmentative suffix
specifies that it usually comes at the end of a word
- diminutive
the opposite type of affix — indicates small size
文法句型
augmentative of [word]
the augmentative [suffix]
用法筆記
As a noun, 'augmentative' refers to a specific type of affix. The most common examples come from Romance languages, where augmentative suffixes contrast with diminutive suffixes. English has few true augmentative affixes.