What does reducible mean?
Reducible means that something can be made smaller, simpler, or less complex. The word is especially common in the construction “reducible to,” as in “reducible to a single paragraph” or “reducible to a set of basic principles.” It can also describe anything capable of being reduced in a technical or chemical sense. For example, a substance may be called reducible when it can undergo chemical reduction, involving the gain of electrons or the removal of oxygen. Reducible is an adjective formed from reduce and is usually used in formal, educational, scientific, or analytical contexts. Its opposite, irreducible, describes something that cannot be reduced or simplified. The term is useful whenever complexity, scope, quantity, or chemical composition is being assessed and the possibility of simplification is in question.
adjectiveCapable of being reduced in size, number, amount, or complexity. In chemistry, it means capable of undergoing reduction, a gain of electrons or loss of oxygen.
- Capable of being made smaller, fewer, less complex, or otherwise diminished.
- Capable of undergoing chemical reduction.
"The apparently complicated procedure is reducible to a few simple steps."
"The total cost is reducible through better planning."
"This metal oxide is readily reducible in a hydrogen furnace."
Some challenges can be simplified; others are irreducibly complex.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reducible come from?
The word is derived from the Latin verb reducere, meaning “to bring back” or “lead back,” which also developed into English reduce. The adjective reducible was formed with the Latin suffix -ibilis, expressing the meaning “able to be reduced.” Its sense in English gradually came to emphasize what can be diminished, simplified, or chemically reduced.
Related word forms
How reducible is actually used
Most often used predicatively, especially in the pattern “reducible to.” In technical writing, it can also refer to mathematical or chemical processes; “irreducible” is its usual opposite.