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generative

[ jen-er-uh-tiv, -uh-rey-tiv ]
/ ˈdʒɛn ər ə tɪv, -əˌreɪ tɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR generative

adjective

capable of producing or creating.
pertaining to the production of offspring.
Linguistics.
  1. of or relating to generative grammar.
  2. using rules to generate surface forms from underlying, abstract forms.

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Origin of generative

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

OTHER WORDS FROM generative

Words nearby generative

Generation Jones, Generation X, Generation XL, Generation Y, Generation Z, generative, generative cell, generative grammar, generative phonology, generative semantics, generative-transformational grammar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to generative

seminal, imaginative, unusual, inventive, unconventional, creative, innovative, profitable, beneficial, useful, effective, prolific, dynamic, valuable, constructive, gratifying, rewarding, fertile, advantageous, vigorous

Example sentences from the Web for generative

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

Medical 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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.