derivative

Taken or developed from something else, rather than being new or original.

• The film feels derivative.
• Her early paintings were derivative of older artists' work.
• Critics called the novel entertaining but highly derivative.

How to use it: derivative of something (His style is derivative of earlier crime writers.)

Similar words: unoriginal, imitative, derived

Opposites: original

Common phrases: derivative work, derivative style, highly derivative

Something made from another thing, especially a chemical made by changing another chemical.

• This compound is a sugar derivative.
• The laboratory tested three derivatives of the original substance.
• Some oil derivatives are used to make plastics.

How to use it: a derivative of something (This medicine contains a derivative of a natural plant chemical.)

Similar words: derived product

Common phrases: a chemical derivative, a derivative of something, an oil derivative

A mathematical function that shows how fast another function changes at each point.

• Find the derivative of this function.
• The derivative describes how quickly the curve rises or falls.
• We calculated first and second derivatives in class.

How to use it: the derivative of a function (The derivative of this function is constant.); derivative with respect to a variable (Find the derivative with respect to time.)

Similar words: derived function

Common phrases: first derivative, calculate the derivative, derivative of something

The number showing how fast a mathematical function changes at one particular point.

• The derivative here is positive.
• At the highest point, the derivative equals zero.
• What is the derivative of this function at three?

How to use it: the derivative at + point (The derivative at this point is zero.)

Similar words: instantaneous rate of change

Common phrases: derivative at zero, a positive derivative, a negative derivative