formative

American  

[fawr-muh-tiv] / ˈfɔr mə tɪv /

adjective

1. giving form or shape; forming; shaping; fashioning; molding.

   a formative process in manufacturing.

2. relating to formation or development.

   a child's most formative years.

   Synonyms:

   impressionable, receptive, susceptible

3. Biology.

   1. capable of developing new cells or tissue by cell division and differentiation.

      formative tissue.

   2. concerned with the formation of an embryo, organ, or the like.

4. Education. continuous and diagnostic, and covering specifically the current material with which the student is actively engaged; ongoing: formative evaluation;

   formative assessment;

   formative evaluation;

   formative feedback.

5. Grammar. relating to a formative, an affix that indicates the part of speech of a derived word.

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noun

1. Grammar. a derivational affix, particularly one that determines the part of speech of the derived word, as -ness, in loudness, hardness, etc.

2. Linguistics. (in generative grammar) any element, as a word, affix, or inflectional ending, functioning as a minimal syntactic unit that can be used in forming larger constructions.

formative British  

/ ˈfɔːmətɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to formation, development, or growth

   formative years

2. shaping; moulding

   a formative experience

3. (of tissues and cells in certain parts of an organism) capable of growth and differentiation

4. functioning in the formation of derived, inflected, or compound words

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noun

1. an inflectional or derivational affix

2. (in generative grammar) any of the minimum units of a sentence that have syntactic function

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subformativeness
  noun
• nonformative
  adjective
• subformatively
  adverb
• subformative
  adjective
• formativeness
  noun
• nonformatively
  adverb
• formatively
  adverb
• unformative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of formative

First recorded in 1480–90; from Old French formatif (masculine), formative (feminine); see formation, -ive

Explanation

Formative is a word that describes something that made you who you are. You might call your adolescence your formative years because that time period had such a strong influence on the rest of your life. The word form means “to shape.” Something that is formative is capable of shaping or molding something or someone. A formative experience is one that strongly influenced you, like the first time you went to the beach and decided, from that day, that you wanted to become a world-class surfer. Formative can also describe an organism that is able to form new cells. In linguistics, the noun formative is a small language unit that can help shape or form a word.

Example Sentences

Malls and physical stores have been popular among Gen Z consumers that spent their formative years locked down during the pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

His mother planned every detail of those very first, life-changing flights with her son in mind, and that gift is one formative enough to last an eternity.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

Another formative experience was competing at the ATP Next Gen Finals - for the world's best players aged under 20 - before he decided to forfeit his college status to turn professional.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Big-ticket purchases like a first car or down payment on a home become much more achievable during their formative years if a parent intentionally set money aside to help cover costs.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

Reluctant as Japanese and Koreans are to admit it, they are like twin brothers who shared their formative years.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• developmental