associative
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or resulting from association.
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tending to associate or unite.
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Mathematics, Logic.
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(of an operation on a set of elements) giving an equivalent expression when elements are grouped without change of order, as (a +b ) + c = a + (b +c ).
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having reference to this property.
associative law of multiplication.
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adjective
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of, relating to, or causing association or union
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maths logic
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being independent of the grouping of numbers, symbols, or terms within a given set, as in conjunction or in an expression such as (2 × 3) × 4 = 2 × (3 × 4)
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referring to this property
the associative laws of arithmetic
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Of or relating to the property of an operation, such as addition or multiplication, which states that the grouping of numbers undergoing the operation does not change the result. For example, 3 + (4 + 5) is equal to (3 + 4) + 5.
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See also commutative distributive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of associative
Explanation
Something that's associative involves connections between things, especially ideas or processes. An associative memory, for example, might come from a scent that your mind connects with a specific place you visited as a child. Although you can use the adjective to describe all kinds of things that are characterized by the idea of connection or association, you're most likely to find it in scholarly writing. In psychology or neuroscience you might read about "associative learning," in which a certain behavior results in a stimulus — a reward or punishment. The association between the action and the result makes this kind of learning associative. The Latin root is associare, "join with."
Vocabulary lists containing associative
"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
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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 concept of associative play refers to how well a player links up with his team-mates.
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026
The research team plans to continue studying associative learning in patient populations.
From Science Daily • Dec. 26, 2025
Most of his lyrics read the way poems do, abandoning the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse-chorus structure of standard pop songs for the loosely associative through line typical of free-verse poetry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
“This is an associative poetic art show,” Simpson says of the 18 participating artists.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025
No dinner table, no shaded margin of a tennis court ever heard her so easily and richly associative.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
