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Synonyms

collective

American  
[kuh-lek-tiv] / kəˈlɛk tɪv /

adjective

  1. formed by collection.

  2. forming a whole; combined.

    the collective assets of a corporation and its subsidiaries.

  3. of or characteristic of a group of individuals taken together.

    the collective wishes of the membership.

  4. organized according to the principles of collectivism.

    a collective farm.


noun

  1. collective noun.

  2. a collective body; group.

  3. a business, farm, etc., jointly owned and operated by the members of a group.

  4. a unit of organization or the organization in a collectivist system.

collective British  
/ kəˈlɛktɪv /

adjective

  1. formed or assembled by collection

  2. forming a whole or aggregate

  3. of, done by, or characteristic of individuals acting in cooperation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. a cooperative enterprise or unit, such as a collective farm

    2. the members of such a cooperative

  1. short for collective noun

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • collectively adverb
  • collectiveness noun
  • noncollective adjective
  • uncollective adjective

Etymology

Origin of collective

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English collectif (from Middle French ), from Latin collēctīvus, equivalent to collēct(us) (past participle of colligere; collect 1 ) + -īvus -ive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The tourists suffered a crushing defeat in the first Test, though on the opening day in Perth returned the highest collective average speed recorded by an England attack.

From BBC

Just before the first Ashes Test, when England recorded their fastest collective day of pace bowling on record, BBC Sport met Spencer at his home in the south-west suburbs of Perth.

From BBC

Kiffin has said that the best jobs in college football are the ones whose NIL collectives, which fund so-called “name, image and likeness” payments, had the biggest war chests to spend on players.

From The Wall Street Journal

Labor strategy shifted from collective union action to individual legal remedies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their collective group, known as Lepidosauria, has achieved remarkable success, raising long-standing questions about which early traits gave them such an advantage.

From Science Daily