executive

[ig-zek-yuh-tiv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR executive ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or group of persons having administrative or supervisory authority in an organization.

the person or persons in whom the supreme executive power of a government is vested.

the executive branch of a government.

adjective

of, relating to, or suited for carrying out plans, duties, etc.: executive ability.

pertaining to or charged with the execution of laws and policies or the administration of public affairs: executive appointments; executive committees.

designed for, used by, or suitable for executives: an executive suite.

Origin of executive

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin execūtīvus, equivalent to Latin execūt(us) (past participle of ex(s)equī; see execute) + -īvus -ive

Related formsex·ec·u·tive·ly, adverbex·ec·u·tive·ness, nounnon·ex·ec·u·tive, adjective, nounpro·ex·ec·u·tive, adjectivesem·i·ex·ec·u·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for executive

managerial, administrator, management, supervisor, government, official, administration, manager, boss, director, entrepreneur, chief, officer, commander, leader, ruling, governing, head, businessperson, exec

Examples from the Web for executive

Contemporary Examples of executive

Colfer adapted the later into a 2012 film, which he also executive produced and starred in.
Chris Colfer on Writing, Acting, and the Pain of Being A Pop Culture Trailblazer
Oliver Jones
December 15, 2014
After the show, Executive Chef Michael Franey explained the process by which the theater selects its menu.
Dinner at Nitehawk Cinema: ‘Christmas Vacation’ and a Beer in a Pear Tree
Rich Goldstein
December 12, 2014
The skit also implies that executive orders are a new aspect of governance.
SNL Parodies Schoolhouse Rock Hilariously, Gets A Lot Wrong
Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video
November 24, 2014
In June, the executive offices of the Metropolitan Opera were broken into and graffitied with obscene messages.
Inside the Metropolitan Opera’s Insane Year
Shawn E. Milnes
November 23, 2014
The Emancipation Proclamation, as Nancy Pelosi reminds us, was an executive action.
Why We Can’t Quit Calling Presidents ‘Kings’
Kevin Bleyer
November 22, 2014

Historical Examples of executive

We need a new engagement, too, between the Executive and the Congress.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
The new nation proceeded, in the autumn of 1788, to the choice of an executive.
The Nation in a Nutshell
George Makepeace Towle
That automatically made them captain and executive officer of the Benefactor.
Join Our Gang?
Sterling E. Lanier
Grouvelle, secretary of the Executive Council, read them to him.
Memoirs Of The Court Of Marie Antoinette, Queen Of France, Complete
Madame Campan
Then Calhoun faced the executive and cabinet of Dara for the second time.
Pariah Planet
Murray Leinster

British Dictionary definitions for executive

executive

noun

a person or group responsible for the administration of a project, activity, or business
(as modifier)executive duties; an executive position

the branch of government responsible for carrying out laws, decrees, etc; administration
any administrationCompare judiciary, legislature

adjective

having the function or purpose of carrying plans, orders, laws, etc, into practical effect

of, relating to, or designed for an executivethe executive suite

informal of the most expensive or exclusive typeexecutive housing; executive class

Derived Formsexecutively, adverb

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 executive

adj.

mid-15c., "performed, carried out;" 1640s, "of the branch of government that carries out the laws," from Middle French executif, from Latin executivus, from past participle stem of exequi (see execution). The noun in this sense is from 1776, as a branch of government. Meaning "businessman" is 1902 in American English. Executive privilege is attested by 1805, American English.