collective

[ kuh-lek-tiv ]

/ kəˈlɛk tɪv /

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.

Nearby words

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

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 forms

col·lec·tive·ly, adverbnon·col·lec·tive, adjectivenon·col·lec·tive·ly, adverbun·col·lec·tive, adjective

un·col·lec·tive·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for collectively

For all the vulgar jokes we collectively enjoy, there's a cultural disconnect between sexual humor and actual eroticism.
Inside the Greatest Porn Parody Factory: From ‘Game of Bones’ to ‘The Humper Games’|Gabriella Paiella|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But high-ranking Democrats collectively need to perform the following exercise.
How Can Dems Be Losing to These Idiots?|Michael Tomasky|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are 17 processes herein, which collectively take four years for a craftsman to master.
Behind the Wheel of the Bespoke Bentley|Zoe Settle|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet, collectively our culture is still repressed when it comes to the subject of sex.
Christian Right-Wingers Love Porn: New Studies Suggest the Bible Belt Has A Kinky Side|Aurora Snow|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So, it was in the air worldwide, but these four Austrian artists were the most collectively extreme.
The Life and Art of Radical Provocateur—and Commune Leader—Otto Muehl|Anthony Haden-Guest|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Collectively, they constituted something to be proud of and sorry for.
Those Times And These|Irvin S. Cobb
Each had lost a friend, but collectively as a regiment they had lost a powerful weapon.
London to Ladysmith via Pretoria|Winston Spencer Churchill
Such was the family to whom collectively the Marchioness looked for support in her unhappiness.
Marion Fay|Anthony Trollope
Most creatures reproduce individually, these collectively—all personal life absolutely lost in the group life.
The home|Charlotte Perkins Gilman
But with regiments jammed in this astonishing way, and got collectively into the lion's throat, what can be done?
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XVIII. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle

British Dictionary definitions for collectively

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

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