connective

American  

[kuh-nek-tiv] / kəˈnɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. serving or tending to connect.

   connective remarks between chapters.

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noun

1. something that connects.

2. Grammar. a word used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences, as a conjunction.

3. Botany. the tissue joining the two cells of the anther.

connective British  

/ ˌkɒnɛkˈtɪvɪtɪ, kəˈnɛktɪv /

adjective

1. serving to connect or capable of connecting

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noun

1. a thing that connects

2. grammar logic

   1. a less common word for conjunction

   2. any word that connects phrases, clauses, or individual words

   3. a symbol used in a formal language in the construction of compound sentences from simpler sentences, corresponding to terms such as or, and, not, etc, in ordinary speech

3. botany the tissue of a stamen that connects the two lobes of the anther

4. anatomy a nerve-fibre bundle connecting two nerve centres

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• connectively
  adverb
• quasi-connective
  adjective
• nonconnectively
  adverb
• connectivity
  noun
• quasi-connectively
  adverb
• nonconnective
  adjective
• nonconnectivity
  noun
• preconnective
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of connective

First recorded in 1645–55; connect + -ive

Explanation

Something that's connective connects or attaches things to each other. In grammar, connective words such as "like" or "than" connect clauses or phrases. A connective device on your computer, like a modem, connects it with the Internet, and connective tissue in your body connects organs, tissues, bones, muscles, and other body parts to each other. Sometimes a connective word or conjunction is also called a connective. The word comes from the verb connect, from the Latin root conectere, "join together."

Example Sentences

The value proposition of generative AI is that it streamlines the process of communicating by skipping connective thought processes.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

Shares soared 12% on Wednesday after Nvidia announced plans to invest $500 million in the glassmaker to expand manufacturing of fiber optics, a key connective tissue for AI infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

This quantum software will serve as the so-called connective tissue in hybrid models linking quantum systems with classical machines.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

It supports and strengthens skin, nails, bones and connective tissues, including tendons and cartilage.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

But it would have been better to rewrite the sentence to convey the contrast from the start, using an unambiguous connective such as alternatively.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker