things which have been added. This usually has a bad meaning in that an additive is said to be something needless or harmful which has been added to someone or something. For example, if a person was attacked or injured when he was young, he might still in present time be afraid of the type of situation or person that injured him, even if the present situation didn't call for such a reaction. This irrational fear is an additive. In common English, additive might mean a substance put into a compound to improve its qualities or suppress undesirable qualities. In Dianetics and Scientology it definitely means to add something resulting in undesirable results. —Quotes Book Glossary (app. Nov 1990)