respective
Americanadjective
adjective
-
belonging or relating separately to each of several people or things; several
we took our respective ways home
-
an archaic word for respectful
Other Word Forms
- respectiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of respective
First recorded in 1515–25; from Medieval Latin respectīvus, equivalent to Latin respect(us) ( respect ( def. ) ) + -īvus -ive ( def. )
Explanation
When two people each have something of their own, it's their respective thing. In a boxing match, the opponents each start in their respective or individual corners. Respective comes from the Latin respectivus meaning "having regard for." Everyone has regard for what's respectively theirs. We have respective opinions, respective responsibilities, respective anxieties. It's basically another word for individual. Each of a set of twins probably has his respective bed, even though they might share a bedroom together.
Vocabulary lists containing respective
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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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.
Both were soldiers who had gone on to provide unsurpassed political leadership of their respective countries, and both were possessed of exceptional physical and moral courage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
These were just really decent people who wanted to make a change in their respective industries.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
You don’t give your respective ages, but women tend to live five years longer on average than men; a macabre data point worth considering.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
Across the 20 Premier League sides, 228 players were called up by their respective countries last month for World Cup qualifiers and friendlies.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
The two eldest Glass boys, Seymour and Buddy, had moved into it in 1929, at the respective ages of twelve and ten, and had vacated it when they were twenty-three and twenty-one.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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.
