constructive

[kuhn-struhk-tiv]

See more synonyms for constructive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

helping to improve; promoting further development or advancement (opposed to destructive): constructive criticism.
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.

Origin of constructive

1670–80; < Medieval Latin constrūctīvus, equivalent to Latin constrūct(us) (see construct) + īvus -ive

Related formscon·struc·tive·ly, adverbcon·struc·tive·ness, nounnon·con·struc·tive, adjectivenon·con·struc·tive·ly, adverbnon·con·struc·tive·ness, nounqua·si-con·struc·tive, adjectivequa·si-con·struc·tive·ly, adverbun·con·struc·tive, adjectiveun·con·struc·tive·ly, adverb

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. productive, helpful, handy, useful.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for constructive

Contemporary Examples

Constructive criticism is different from people just being dicks, and I love constructive criticism.
Andrew Garfield on the Evils of Capitalism, the Hacking Scandal, and Criticism of ‘Spider-Man 2’
Marlow Stern
September 10, 2014
Reformers understood that constructive societal evolution was the antidote to socialist revolution.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR
John Avlon
September 9, 2014
On Monday, European Union countries condemned the air strikes and called for a ceasefire and “constructive dialogue.”
Libya’s Proxy Apocalypse
Jamie Dettmer
August 27, 2014
“We have since begun a constructive dialogue with the committee on the redactions,” Price said.
White House Must Decide Who Will Be Named in the CIA ‘Torture Report’
Josh Rogin, Eli Lake
August 7, 2014
So that they can return and approach the world—and approach women—with constructive confidence and calm.
Billie Holiday, Barack Obama, and the Pain of Black Women
Joshua DuBois
June 22, 2014

Historical Examples

Vaucanson was a man of the highest order of constructive genius.
Self-Help
Samuel Smiles
He is fertile in plan and constructive in method because he has creative imagination.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
The field is almost virgin, and the need for constructive programs is acute.
College Teaching
Paul Klapper
With a fifty-dollar teacher, constructive work was likely lacking.
Rural Life and the Rural School
Joseph Kennedy
We see at once that that doctrine was not negative but positive and constructive.
History of Religion
Allan Menzies

British Dictionary definitions for constructive

constructive

adjective

serving to build or improve; positiveconstructive criticism
law deduced by inference or construction; not expressed but inferred
law having a deemed legal effectconstructive notice
another word for structural

Derived Formsconstructively, adverbconstructiveness, 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

Word Origin and History for constructive

adj.

early 15c., "derived by interpretation," from Middle French constructif or from Medieval Latin constructivus, from Latin construct-, past participle stem of construere "to heap up" (see construction). Meaning "pertaining to construction" is from 1817; "having the quality of constructing" is from 1841. Related: Constructively. Constructive criticism is attested by 1841.

constructive

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Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for constructive

Contemporary Examples

Constructive criticism is different from people just being dicks, and I love constructive criticism.

Reformers understood that constructive societal evolution was the antidote to socialist revolution.

On Monday, European Union countries condemned the air strikes and called for a ceasefire and “constructive dialogue.”

“We have since begun a constructive dialogue with the committee on the redactions,” Price said.

So that they can return and approach the world—and approach women—with constructive confidence and calm.

Historical Examples

Vaucanson was a man of the highest order of constructive genius.

He is fertile in plan and constructive in method because he has creative imagination.

The field is almost virgin, and the need for constructive programs is acute.

With a fifty-dollar teacher, constructive work was likely lacking.

We see at once that that doctrine was not negative but positive and constructive.

constructive

Word Origin and History for constructive

adj.

Origin of constructive