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
- 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) ( 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.
“Under these conditions, the outlook for constructive talks remains bleak.”
From Barron's • Apr. 19, 2026
“Under these conditions, the outlook for constructive talks remains bleak.”
From Barron's • Apr. 19, 2026
First, he insisted that employees be ready to give and receive constructive criticism at all times and that people should be willing to argue for their ideas.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026
"We have made repeated attempts, through the administrators, to engage with Mr Chansiri in order to find a constructive resolution. Those requests have gone unanswered."
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
I designed for both of them literally dozens of insulting, sub-normal, but quite constructive, drawing exercises.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
