Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Suffering from or causing constipation; constipated: Describes a condition where bowel movements are infrequent or difficult.
   • Slow or reluctant in action or speech; not generous: Describes a person who is slow to act, speak, or spend.

Usage

• The primary meaning of "costive" is medical, relating to constipation.
• Its secondary meaning is figurative, describing a character trait of being slow, withholding, or stingy.
• It is a formal and somewhat old-fashioned word.

Examples

• Medical meaning:
  • The patient felt costive and uncomfortable after the surgery.
  • Some medications can have a costive effect on the digestive system.
• Figurative meaning:
  • He was costive with his praise, rarely complimenting anyone.
  • The author's costive prose made the novel difficult to read.

Advanced Usage

• "to be costive of": to be slow or reluctant to give something (e.g., information, money, praise).
  • The government was costive of details regarding the new policy.

Variants and Related Words

• Costiveness (n): The state of being costive; constipation or reticence.
  • The costiveness of his writing style frustrated readers.

Synonyms

• Constipated: (for the medical sense) suffering from constipation.
• Reticent: (for the figurative sense) not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.
• Stingy: (for the figurative sense) unwilling to give or spend; ungenerous.

Antonyms

• Laxative: (for the medical sense) tending to stimulate or facilitate evacuation of the bowels.
• Loquacious: (for the figurative sense) tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
• Generous: (for the figurative sense) showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary.

Related Idioms

• None directly using "costive": The word itself is not commonly used in modern idioms. Its figurative use often stands alone to describe a character trait.

Adjective

1. retarding evacuation of feces; binding; constipating