legislative
Americanadjective
-
having the function of making laws.
a legislative body.
-
of or relating to the enactment of laws.
legislative proceedings; legislative power.
-
pertaining to a legislature.
a legislative recess.
-
enacted or ordained by legislation or a legislature.
legislative ruling; legislative remedy.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to legislation
-
having the power or function of legislating
a legislative assembly
-
of or relating to a legislature
noun
Other Word Forms
- legislatively adverb
- nonlegislative adjective
- nonlegislatively adverb
- prelegislative adjective
- pseudolegislative adjective
- quasi-legislative adjective
- quasi-legislatively adverb
- semilegislative adjective
- semilegislatively adverb
- unlegislative adjective
- unlegislatively adverb
Etymology
Origin of legislative
First recorded in 1635–45; legislat(ion) + -ive
Explanation
Legislative is an adjective that describes the act or process of passing laws. Congress is the legislative branch of the United States government. They're the ones who can pass bills, which the president can sign into law or veto. A legislator is someone charged with creating and passing new laws in the legislature. All of these words come from the same root words — lex and legis (meaning "law") and lator (meaning "proposer"). So a legislator is literally a proposer of law, and their actions are legislative in nature. If you are interested in the legislative process, you might consider going to law school and running for office. Or you might just enjoy a movie about politics instead.
Vocabulary lists containing legislative
U.S. Government Lingo
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The American Revolution - Introductory
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Civics I
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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.
State legislative panels convened to investigate the allegations also fizzled out after they were unable to substantiate such claims.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
Growing concern over the phenomenon has led to a flurry of recent legislative proposals.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Argentina’s Congress revised a glacier-protection law, a legislative victory for President Javier Milei to boost copper mining.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
It’s actually in the same paragraph as that line about legislative purpose.
From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026
Incensed local lawmakers responded with monuments to legislative creativity.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
