constitutive
Americanadjective
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constituent; making a thing what it is; essential.
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having power to establish or enact.
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Physics, Chemistry. pertaining to a molecular property determined primarily by the arrangement of atoms in the molecule rather than by their nature or number.
adjective
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having power to enact, appoint, or establish
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chem (of a physical property) determined by the arrangement of atoms in a molecule rather than by their nature
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biochem (of an enzyme) formed continuously, irrespective of the cell's needs
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another word for constituent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of constitutive
First recorded in 1585–95; constitute + -ive
Explanation
The word constitutive describes an essential part of a whole, especially physical makeup. Without its constitutive engine, steering wheel, and tires, you don’t really have a car; it's just a box with seats. Just like a government may be based on its constitution, a whole is based on its constitutive parts. Something that is constitutive may also be necessary for a whole to work correctly. Participate in a 24-hour dance-a-thon, and you’ll likely find your legs are constitutive to your success. Constitutive is one of those words that has both general and scientific uses; you might see other senses of the word in both chemistry and biology books.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s how Americans think about the texts that are constitutive of them.
From Slate ● May 8, 2024
"We shall always support anything that all three constitutive peoples agree upon," Vucic said, referring to Bosnia's Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosniaks.
From Reuters ● Apr. 15, 2023
In their view, logic is a constitutive norm of reasoning—that is, logic constitutes what reasoning is.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022
Board era, they ask, why and how do race and racism continue to play a constitutive role in America?
From Washington Post ● Jul. 2, 2021
No matter how the constitutive properties of the class are indicated, by one word or in combination, that word or combination is a general name.
From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by William Minto
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
