- serving or tending to fix
- a fluid usually consisting of a transparent resin, such as shellac, dissolved in alcohol and sprayed over drawings to prevent smudging
- a substance added to a liquid, such as a perfume, to make it less volatile
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
fix•a•tive
(fik′sə tiv),USA pronunciation adj.
n. Also, fix•a•tif
- serving to fix; making fixed or permanent.
n. Also, fix•a•tif
- (fik′sə tiv, -tēf′).USA pronunciation
- a fixative substance, as a gummy liquid sprayed on a drawing to prevent blurring, or a solution for killing, hardening, and preserving material for microscopic study.
- Also called fixer. [Photog.]a chemical substance, as sodium thiosulfate, used to promote fixation.
- a substance that retards evaporation, as in the manufacture of perfume.
- fix + -ative 1635–45
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
fixative /ˈfɪksətɪv/ adj