generative

[ jen-er-uh-tiv, -uh-rey-tiv ]

/ ˈdʒɛn ər ə tɪv, -əˌreɪ tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR generative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of producing or creating.

pertaining to the production of offspring.

Linguistics.

of or relating to generative grammar.
using rules to generate surface forms from underlying, abstract forms.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of generative

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French generatif, Late Latin generātīvus. See generate, -ive

Related forms

gen·er·a·tive·ly, adverbgen·er·a·tive·ness, nounin·ter·gen·er·a·tive, adjectivenon·gen·er·a·tive, adjective

un·gen·er·a·tive, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for generative

If a series is telling a story that matters to us, the loss of a main character can be jarring but generative.
Life After TV Death: How Shows Like ‘Game of Thrones’ Kill Your Favorite Characters|Phillip Maciak|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I sensed that I found a symbol for generative grammar, and I worked on the [theory of] recursivity in my animation.
What Is Michel Gondry Doing With Noam Chomsky?|Jimmy So|November 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So, geometry elaborates a lot on recursivity in generative grammar.
What Is Michel Gondry Doing With Noam Chomsky?|Jimmy So|November 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The generative, undifferentiated impulse is supplanted by the love for an individual and stigmatised as base and contemptible.
The Evolution of Love|Emil Lucka

Generative organs frozen cold, and this coldness extends up my back.
New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers|Various
For toning up the generative organs, so that they can perform their natural functions, Pratts Cow Remedy is safe and positive.
Pratt's Practical Pointers on the Care of Livestock and Poultry|Pratt Food Co.
Such, then, is the singular sensitiveness of the generative system.
On the Genesis of Species|St. George Mivart
The question now is whether the admission of air can liberate any generative energy in the infusions.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall

British Dictionary definitions for generative

generative

/ (ˈdʒɛnərətɪv) /

adjective

of or relating to the production of offspring, parts, etca generative cell

capable of producing or originating

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 generative

generative

adj.

early 15c., from generate + -ive. Use in linguistics is attested by 1959. Related: Generativity.

Medicine definitions for generative

generative

[ jĕn′ər-ə-tĭv, -ə-rā′- ]

adj.

Having the ability to originate, produce, or procreate.

Of or relating to the production of offspring.