invasive

/ɪnˈveɪsɪv/

/ɪnˈveɪsɪv/

Other forms: invasively

Anything invasive goes or grows where you don’t want it. An invasive procedure at the doctor hurts, and an invasive plant, like kudzu, grows all over the garden. And the yard. And the house.

Invasive species are plants or animals that are not native to an environment and steadily spread, sometimes taking over the native landscape. The same could be said of diseases such as cancer. Invasive surgery usually involves making an incision with a scalpel. We call policies or laws invasive when they endanger personal or civil rights and liberties. No one likes an invasion. Raccoons are an invasive species in Scotland, but no one believed their fake accents anyway.

Definitions of invasive

1. adjective

   gradually intrusive without right or permission
   “invasive tourists”

   synonyms: encroaching, trespassing

   intrusive

   tending to intrude (especially upon privacy)
2. adjective

   involving invasion or aggressive attack
   “invasive war”

   synonyms: incursive, invading

   offensive

   for the purpose of attack rather than defense
3. adjective

   (of plants or species) tending to spread in an uncontrollable and often harmful way
4. adjective

   marked by a tendency to spread especially into healthy tissue
   “invasive cancer cells”

   synonyms:

   aggressive, fast-growing, strong-growing

   tending to spread quickly

   antonyms:

   confined

   not invading healthy tissue
5. adjective

   relating to a technique in which the body is entered by puncture or incision
   antonyms:

   noninvasive

   relating to a technique that does not involve puncturing the skin or entering a body cavity