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 becoming the PGMOL's chief refereeing officer in 2022, Webb has sought greater transparency related to the communication of decisions, but also strived for constructive direct engagement with clubs.
From BBC
The company said, however, that longer-term demand trends remained constructive, and particularly strong across its luxury offerings.
From MarketWatch
He charged that at Tesla "the management has so far not placed any value on constructive cooperation".
From Barron's
Citi maintains a constructive short‑term view on aluminum and reiterates a 0-3 month price target of $3,400/metric ton.
“We remain committed to full environmental compliance, responsible stewardship, and constructive engagement with regulatory authorities and local stakeholders,” Lazizi Mara said after the court announced its decision.
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.
