collaborative

American  

[kuh-lab-uh-ray-tiv, -er-uh-tiv] / kəˈlæb əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv /

adjective

1. characterized or accomplished by cooperation or working together.

   collaborative methods;

   a collaborative report.

2. relating to or involving several organizations, groups, people, etc., working together for a common purpose.

   My doctor is now part of a collaborative practice.

   Modern policing is trending toward collaborative law enforcement, where police officers work hand-in-hand with community leaders and neighborhood associations.

---

noun

1. a group of people working together for a common purpose.

   The collaborative of doctors was able to gather important new information about the illness by pooling anonymized patient data.

Usage

What does collaborative mean? Collaborative is an adjective that describes an effort in which people work together (that is, one in which they collaborate). Collaborative is often used in a positive context to refer to two or more parties successfully working together on a goal or shared project. It’s also increasingly used as a noun for an organized joint effort. Example: The groundbreaking new album was a collaborative effort by the two musicians, who usually have very different styles.

Other Word Forms

• uncollaborative
  adjective
• collaboratively
  adverb
• uncollaboratively
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of collaborative

collaborate + -ive

---

Explanation

The adjective collaborative describes something accomplished by working together with others. With a collaborative effort, a big job can be completed in very little time. When you collaborate, you cooperate, or join forces, with other people — working on a project, brainstorming ideas, even assigning responsibility for who will do what. So something that has these qualities is collaborative. From playing in a band to making a movie, feeding the students at a school to building a house, when you work toward a shared goal, it's collaborative.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collaborative

An analysis of earnings calls over 10 years finds that inviting others to speak makes an executive seem more cooperative and collaborative.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

He seems to oscillate between a collaborative and combative view.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026

"Our study originated from a collaborative research project with Tsuji Oil Mills Co., Ltd, a company that develops naturally derived food ingredients," he added.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Instead, she points to a "continuous stream of visible female role models", as well as the sport's "accessible grassroots structure, junior programmes, open pits and family-oriented, collaborative culture".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Professionals are positive, action oriented, opened minded, poised, adaptable, respectful, self-regulated, empathic, organized, prepared, and collaborative.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---