affective
Americanadjective
-
of, caused by, or expressing emotion or feeling; emotional.
-
causing emotion or feeling.
adjective
-
psychol relating to affects
-
concerned with or arousing the emotions or affection
Other Word Forms
- affectively adverb
- affectivity noun
- nonaffective adjective
Etymology
Origin of affective
1540–50; from Medieval Latin affectīvus, equivalent to Latin affect(us) (action noun; see affect 1) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Affective is a word that crops up a lot in psychology—it means having to do with emotions or moods. Affective disorders are characterized by mood swings. It can be tricky to remember the difference between effective and affective (but easier than distinguishing between effect and affect). Effective makes a judgment about how something works—an effective strategy is one that works well. Affective is about how someone acts, or feels.
Vocabulary lists containing affective
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 7
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This Week In Culture: October 5–11, 2019
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Dicey's Song
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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.
The 27-year-old data scientist struggles with seasonal affective disorder, meaning January can be tough, but she has found ways to counter it.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026
Participants with schizophrenia also consumed more coffee on average than participants with affective disorders.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025
The inquest heard that Maria Morris, who worked as a teaching assistant, had bi-polar affective disorder.
From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025
She has a deep understanding of and a postmodern comfort with cognitive dissonance, with lyrics that describe the affective landscape of the gap between our gestures and expectations.
From Salon • Nov. 29, 2024
And yet there again, the Neurocase paper I cite above on the prodigious memorizer of 7t describes how the subject’s “self-report indicates that imagining affective situations and high emotional content is critical for successful recall.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
