collective

[ kuh-lek-tiv ]

/ kəˈlɛk tɪv /

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See synonyms for: collective / collectives / collectively 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; group.

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.

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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; see collect¹) + -īvus -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM collective

col·lec·tive·ly, adverbnon·col·lec·tive, adjectiveun·col·lec·tive, adjective

Words nearby collective

collecting tubule, collection, collection agency, collection box, collection plate, collective, collective agreement, collective bargaining, collective behavior, collective farm, collective fruit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use collective in a sentence

Some still have to be negotiated with the Fraternal Order of Police, a police membership organization that engages in collective bargaining and has historically worked against police accountability.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
Unions, which act as a sort of intermediary between workers and their employers, advocate on behalf of employees for better wages, working conditions and other benefits through collective bargaining.
Human Capital: The battle over the fate of gig workers continues|Megan Rose Dickey|September 11, 2020|TechCrunch
It succeeded by putting researchers working on disparate projects on the same campus in New Jersey and harnessing their collective power.
The race for a COVID-19 vaccine shows the power of ‘community intelligence’|matthewheimer|September 9, 2020|Fortune
Bates said workers’ rights are typically negotiated through collective bargaining, but the pandemic made a citywide ordinance necessary.
City to Weigh Measure Giving Laid-Off Hotel Workers First Shot at Open Jobs|Maya Srikrishnan|September 8, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Spreading travelers to more destinations, rather than concentrating them into a few lucky resort spots, he says, “is more sustaining than people think,” in spite of our collective pre-Covid-19 proclivities.
Airbnb CEO: The pandemic will force us to see more of the world, not less|Verne Kopytoff|September 7, 2020|Fortune
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The gym—a fragile collective of human ecology at the best of times—has suddenly become even more tense.
How to Survive the New Year ‘Gympocalypse’|Tim Teeman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The trio formed the Sad Boys collective, with Sherm and Gud on production and Lean manning the mic.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Until recently, the hacker collective known as Lizard Squad was all but unknown.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet|Marc Rogers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A resolute push for quite a short period now might reconstruct the entire basis of our collective human life.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Under the present order and with the present gloomy preconceptions they have been the least of its collective cares.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
This can be done, as with the minimum wage, partly by positive legislation and partly collective action.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
This act is performed by the Christian church in a collective ecclesiastical capacity.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
I can find no authority for making it a collective noun, as Bell suggests.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer

British Dictionary definitions for collective

collective

/ (kəˈlɛktɪv) /

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 forms of collective

collectively, 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

collective

Origin of collective

OTHER WORDS FROM collective

Words nearby collective

Words related to collective

How to use collective in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for collective

Derived forms of collective