What characterizes an inductive load in terms of its behavior with alternating current?

An inductive load is characterized by its ability to cause a phase shift between voltage and current when connected to an alternating current (AC) circuit. In such loads, the current lags behind the voltage due to the inductance—the property of the load that allows it to store energy in a magnetic field during the AC cycle. This lag results from the time it takes for the magnetic field to build up and collapse, which leads to the phase shift observed in the waveform of the current compared to that of the voltage.

In contrast, a resistive load does not cause a phase shift because the current and voltage are in phase; they rise and fall together. The other options regarding using less voltage than resistive loads, storing energy in an electric field, and dissipating all energy as heat do not accurately describe the behavior of inductive loads with AC. An inductive load does not store energy in an electric field—that's a characteristic of capacitive loads—and while it does not dissipate all energy as heat, it rather transforms it into magnetic energy during operation. The defining feature of inductive loads in the context of AC is indeed the phase shift caused by the lagging current.