collective

[kuh-lek-tiv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR collective ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

formed by collection.

forming a whole; combined: the collective assets of a corporation and its subsidiaries.

of or characteristic of a group of individuals taken together: the collective wishes of the membership.

organized according to the principles of collectivism: a collective farm.

noun

collective noun.

a collective body; aggregate.

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

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

Origin of collective

1400–50; late Middle English collectif (< Middle French) < Latin collēctīvus, equivalent to collēct(us) (past participle of colligere; see collect¹) + -īvus -ive

Related formscol·lec·tive·ly, adverbnon·col·lec·tive, adjectivenon·col·lec·tive·ly, adverbun·col·lec·tive, adjectiveun·col·lec·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for collective

unified, mutual, concerted, cumulative, corporate, aggregate, joint, common, cooperative, combined, concentrated, heaped, united, conjoint, assembled, collated, compiled, consolidated, hoarded, massed

Examples from the Web for collective

Contemporary Examples of collective

The speaker conjures up centuries of collective sagacity, aligning oneself with an eternal, inarguable good.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead
Luke O’Neil
January 8, 2015
We haven't had any real fan reaction yet, but our collective fingers are crossed.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS
Marlow Stern
January 8, 2015
The collective had threatened attacks on theaters if the movie was not pulled.
Hackers: Sony ‘Very Wise’ to Pull Film
The Daily Beast
December 19, 2014
Please know she has a very special place in our collective hearts.
The Mystery Death Of A Female Firefighter
Christopher Moraff
December 13, 2014
There was a collective gasp at both the four-letter word and the bitter sentiment it carried.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America
David Yaffe, Scott Saul
December 10, 2014

Historical Examples of collective

My friends at least will accept them as such, whether they like their collective title or not.
A Dish Of Orts
George MacDonald
Collective nouns in Greek and English create a similar but lesser awkwardness.
Charmides
Plato
The plan is, therefore, a development of the principle of collective bargaining.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
Cyrus recognises the ideal principle of co-operation and collective ownership.
Cyropaedia
Xenophon
Take my word for it, the secret of success with "the collective wisdom" is reiteration.
Lord Kilgobbin
Charles Lever

British Dictionary definitions for collective

collective

adjective

formed or assembled by collection

forming a whole or aggregate

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

noun

a cooperative enterprise or unit, such as a collective farm
the members of such a cooperative

short for collective noun

Derived Formscollectively, adverbcollectiveness, 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

Word Origin and History for collective

adj.

early 15c., from Middle French collectif, from Latin collectivus, from collectus (see collect). As a noun, short for collective farm (in the USSR) it dates from 1925. collective farm first attested 1919 in translations of Lenin. Collective bargaining coined 1891 by Beatrice Webb; defined in U.S. 1935 by the Wagner Act. Collective noun is recorded from 1510s; collective security first attested 1934 in speech by Winston Churchill.