Concentrative

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /kənˈsɛntɹətɪv/

Definitions

1. Marked by the capacity to direct mental attention sharply
2. Involving the act of honing energy and efforts toward a distinct objective
3. Characterized by the ability to focus the mind intensely ; pertaining to gathering energy or effort toward a single target

Etymology: The adjective is simply "concentrate" with the suffix "-ive" attached, and that suffix has a long pedigree. It passed from Latin "-ivus", which marked a quality or tendency, through Old French "-if" and Middle English "-yf" before settling into the modern English form "-ive". So the word is built from two parts that each arrived by separate routes: the verb "concentrate", and a suffix that English has used for centuries to turn verbs into adjectives describing what something does or tends to do. Applied to "concentrate", the suffix gives a sense of something that draws attention or effort inward toward one point. A concentrative attitude is one that narrows its energies on a single target, which matches the modern meaning of focus on one aim. The base verb itself comes from Latin roots meaning "together" and "centre", and the adjective simply inherits that core image of gathering toward a middle.

Synonyms: focusing, intensive, dedicated, single-minded, absorbed

Antonyms: distracted, dispersed, scattered, unfocused, indifferent