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qualitative

[ kwol-i-tey-tiv ]
/ ˈkwɒl ɪˌteɪ tɪv /
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adjective

pertaining to or concerned with quality or qualities.

RELATED WORDS

subjective, approximate, conditional, dependent, partial

Nearby words

  1. qualificator,
  2. qualified,
  3. qualified majority voting,
  4. qualifier,
  5. qualify,
  6. qualitative analysis,
  7. qualitative identity,
  8. quality,
  9. quality assurance,
  10. quality circle

Origin of qualitative

1600–10; < Late Latin quālitātīvus, equivalent to quālitāt- (stem of quālitās) quality + -īvus -ive
Related formsqual·i·ta·tive·ly, adverbnon·qual·i·ta·tive, adjectivenon·qual·i·ta·tive·ly, adverb
Can be confusedqualitative quantitative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for qualitative

British Dictionary definitions for qualitative

qualitative

/ (ˈkwɒlɪtətɪv, -ˌteɪ-) /

adjective

involving or relating to distinctions based on quality or qualitiesCompare quantitative
Derived Formsqualitatively, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for qualitative

qualitative

adj.

early 15c., "that produces a (physical) quality," from Medieval Latin qualitativus "relating to quality," from stem of Latin qualitas "a quality, property, nature" (see quality). Meaning "concerned with quality" is from c.1600 in English, from French qualitatif or Medieval Latin qualitativus. Related: Qualitatively.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper