summative
Americanadjective
-
of greater effect or value than the strict sum of the individual contributing parts; additive.
Two drugs with similar actions were given, creating a summative response.
-
Education. occurring at the end of a unit or term and covering the entirety of the material from that term; cumulative: summative assignment;
summative assessment;
summative assignment;
summative feedback.
Usage
What does summative mean? Summative is an adjective that means cumulative or characterized or produced by addition. Summative is most frequently used in the context of education, especially in the terms summative assessment and summative evaluation, which are evaluations of student learning at the end of a course or lesson or during a particular educational stage. A close synonym for summative is cumulative, which is much more commonly used. Example: At the end of the year, we have to take a summative assessment that covers everything we were supposed to learn.
Etymology
Origin of summative
First recorded in 1875–80; from Medieval Latin summāt(us) ( summation ) + -ive
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.
Education consultant Ken O’Connor told me, for instance, the Wakefield teachers are wrongly penalizing needy kids who do better on tests and other summative assessments than they do on homework.
From Washington Post • Apr. 3, 2022
Faculty would grade only summative assessments, mostly a fancy word for tests.
From Washington Post • Apr. 3, 2022
Faculty would grade only what are called summative assessments, which generally means tests.
From Washington Post • Dec. 26, 2021
We know Kanye has tremendous respect for Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake, both of whom put together summative performances for the show.
From The Verge • Sep. 1, 2015
Thus we rehearse the activities of our ancestors, back we know not how far, and repeat their life work in summative and adumbrated ways.
From Youth: Its Education, Regimen, and Hygiene by Hall, G. Stanley
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.
