what is meant by recessive
â¢ RECESSIVE (adjective). The adjective RECESSIVE has 2 senses: 1. of or pertaining to a recession. 2. (of genes) producing its characteristic phenotype only when its allele is identical. Familiarity information: RECESSIVE used as an adjective is rare. RECESSIVE (noun). The noun RECESSIVE has 1 sense: 1. an allele that produces its characteristic phenotype only when its paired allele is identical. Familiarity information: RECESSIVE used as a noun is very rare.