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
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.
The result, he says, is likely to be two years of relative quiet on the legislative and regulatory front.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Think tanks and other nonprofits might find themselves subject to these rules if they spend money to publish a voter guide or promote a legislative scorecard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Opponents of the law hope that the next state legislative session, which opens in January, will bring about changes to the law or new legislation to address what they view as its flaws.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The first round of presidential and legislative elections has now been set for July 18, 2027, the country's Provisional Electoral Council said Wednesday evening.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
By the end of the summer, he declared his intention to make the eradication of poverty a key legislative objective in 1964.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
