constructive
Americanadjective
-
helping to improve; promoting further development or advancement (destructive ).
constructive criticism.
- Synonyms:
- useful, handy, helpful, productive
-
of, relating to, or of the nature of construction; structural.
-
deduced by inference or interpretation; inferential.
constructive permission.
-
Law. denoting an act or condition not directly expressed but inferred from other acts or conditions.
adjective
-
serving to build or improve; positive
constructive criticism
-
law deduced by inference or construction; not expressed but inferred
-
law having a deemed legal effect
constructive notice
-
another word for structural
Other Word Forms
- constructively adverb
- constructiveness noun
- nonconstructive adjective
- nonconstructively adverb
- nonconstructiveness noun
- quasi-constructive adjective
- quasi-constructively adverb
- unconstructive adjective
- unconstructively adverb
Etymology
Origin of constructive
1670–80; < Medieval Latin constrūctīvus, equivalent to Latin constrūct(us) ( construct ) + īvus -ive
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.
Since then, it has digested those gains and carved out a constructive cup base with a pivot at $45.20.
From Barron's
Oppenheimer’s Wald wrote that, for now, “the weight of the market evidence remains constructive” for the home-builder sector, but he also noted that it remains “underappreciated” on Wall Street.
From MarketWatch
But Moderna said that after a "constructive" meeting the FDA had accepted the application for review based on a regulatory pathway focused on older adults.
From Barron's
Paramount said in a statement on Tuesday that although Warner’s actions were “unusual,” it was “prepared to engage in good faith and constructive discussions.”
From Barron's
The U.S. dollar also rose on the constructive readouts, and received a further boost from Japan’s commitment to invest around $36 billion in the U.S.
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.
