constructive
Americanadjective
-
helping to improve; promoting further development or advancement (opposed to 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
Etymology
Origin of constructive
1670–80; < Medieval Latin constrūctīvus, equivalent to Latin constrūct(us) ( see construct) + īvus -ive
Explanation
If you have a constructive idea about how to improve society, you should share it. Something that is constructive brings about improvement and growth. Constructive is an adjective associated with encouraging development, physical or otherwise. It is the opposite of destructive, which means "tending to destroy." If you are a constructive member of a community, you are a positive force, interested in building up and improving your community. You’ll often hear this word used in the phrase "constructive criticism," which refers to helpful criticism intended to encourage improvement. Negative criticism, in contrast, is just intended to show a person they're wrong.
Vocabulary lists containing constructive
Twelve Angry Men
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Fish in a Tree
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Latin Love, Vol I: struere
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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.
“As a result, upside risks to dollar remain dominant unless genuinely constructive news emerges from the Gulf.”
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
DBS remains constructive on Hesai’s long-term outlook with its industry-leading market share.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
"We remain committed to working with Mr Mehta, his family, and partners to reach a constructive way forward and to supporting a safe discharge as soon as can be enabled."
From BBC • May 19, 2026
"The two heads of state held constructive discussions on AI-related issues and agreed to launch an intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence," Guo told a news briefing, confirming previous remarks by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
As my ticket is ripped I'll briefly consider all the constructive things I could be doing.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
