constructive

American  

[kuhn-struhk-tiv] / kənˈstrʌk tɪv /

adjective

1. helping to improve; promoting further development or advancement (destructive ).

   constructive criticism.

   Synonyms:

   useful, handy, helpful, productive

2. of, relating to, or of the nature of construction; structural.

3. deduced by inference or interpretation; inferential.

   constructive permission.

4. Law. denoting an act or condition not directly expressed but inferred from other acts or conditions.

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constructive British  

/ kənˈstrʌktɪv /

adjective

1. serving to build or improve; positive

   constructive criticism

2. law deduced by inference or construction; not expressed but inferred

3. law having a deemed legal effect

   constructive notice

4. another word for structural

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Other Word Forms

• constructively adverb
• constructiveness noun
• nonconstructive adjective
• nonconstructively adverb
• nonconstructiveness noun
• quasi-constructive adjective
• quasi-constructively adverb
• unconstructive adjective
• unconstructively adverb

Etymology

Origin of constructive

1670–80; < Medieval Latin constrūctīvus, equivalent to Latin constrūct(us) ( construct ) + īvus -ive

Example Sentences

Helen Dickinson, chief executive at the British Retail Consortium, described the talks as "constructive".

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

“We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

While the stock was firmly rejected near the $20 level on Feb. 12, the current pullback appears constructive.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

By Monday morning, with global markets swooning, he said the Iranians were engaging in "constructive" talks with the US.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Somehow this makes her praise sound like their mother's old "constructive" criticism.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• effective
• positive
• practical
• productive
• useful
• valuable