projective

American  

[pruh-jek-tiv] / prəˈdʒɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to projection.

2. produced, or capable of being produced, by projection.

3. Psychology. of, relating to, or noting a test or technique for revealing the hidden motives or underlying personality structure of an individual by the use of ambiguous or unstructured test materials, as ink blots, cloud pictures, or cartoons, that encourage spontaneous responses.

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projective British  

/ prəˈdʒɛktɪv /

adjective

1. relating to or concerned with projection

   projective geometry

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Other Word Forms

• nonprojective adjective
• projectively adverb
• projectivity noun
• unprojective adjective

Etymology

Origin of projective

First recorded in 1625–35; project + -ive

Example Sentences

Klein introduced the term "projective identification," which has taken on a variety of meanings, but "envious reversal" refers to something quite specific.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2023

This mechanism of projective identification creates a powerful yet unconscious contract between the two to keep enacting the same ritual.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2023

In such a mutually projective scheme, anyone who shows interest is disqualified.

From Slate • Aug. 1, 2021

Smaller topological surfaces, the surfaces we call compact, have a nice classification: they are all combinations of tori and projective planes.

From Scientific American • Nov. 5, 2017

This was the beginning of the discipline of projective geometry, where mathematicians look at the shadows and projections of geometric figures to uncover hidden truths even more powerful than the equivalence of parabolas and ellipses.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife