constructive
Americanadjective
-
helping to improve; promoting further development or advancement (opposed to destructive).
constructive criticism.
- Synonyms:
- useful, handy, helpful, productive
-
of, relating to, or of the nature of construction; structural.
-
deduced by inference or interpretation; inferential.
constructive permission.
-
Law. denoting an act or condition not directly expressed but inferred from other acts or conditions.
adjective
-
serving to build or improve; positive
constructive criticism
-
law deduced by inference or construction; not expressed but inferred
-
law having a deemed legal effect
constructive notice
-
another word for structural
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of constructive
1670–80; < Medieval Latin constrūctīvus, equivalent to Latin constrūct(us) ( see construct) + īvus -ive
Explanation
If you have a constructive idea about how to improve society, you should share it. Something that is constructive brings about improvement and growth. Constructive is an adjective associated with encouraging development, physical or otherwise. It is the opposite of destructive, which means "tending to destroy." If you are a constructive member of a community, you are a positive force, interested in building up and improving your community. You’ll often hear this word used in the phrase "constructive criticism," which refers to helpful criticism intended to encourage improvement. Negative criticism, in contrast, is just intended to show a person they're wrong.
Vocabulary lists containing constructive
Twelve Angry Men
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Fish in a Tree
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Latin Love, Vol I: struere
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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.
It offered a constructive solution for a side without four senior wingers, and forced to include two academy players - 17‑year‑old attackers Mathis Eboue and Ryan Kavuma‑McQueen - on the bench.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
Kyiv and Moscow aim to signal constructive approach to U.S. negotiators, as Russia continues attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
The firm retains its view of American stocks as attractive and displays a preference for sectors like consumer discretionary, financials, health care, utilities and industrials while remaining constructive on AI-related stocks also.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
“The constructive takeaway for investors is that opportunities remain,” he added.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
But he often did not respond well to advice from these same people, and had trouble distinguishing between constructive criticism and personal betrayal.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
