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constructive

[ kuhn-struhk-tiv ]
/ kənˈstrʌk tɪv /
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See synonyms for: constructive / constructively on Thesaurus.com

adjective
helping to improve; promoting further development or advancement (opposed to destructive): constructive criticism.
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.
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Origin of constructive

1670–80; <Medieval Latin constrūctīvus, equivalent to Latin constrūct(us) (see construct) + īvus -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM constructive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use constructive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for constructive

constructive
/ (kənˈstrʌktɪv) /

adjective
serving to build or improve; positiveconstructive criticism
law deduced by inference or construction; not expressed but inferred
law having a deemed legal effectconstructive notice
another word for structural

Derived forms of constructive

constructively, adverbconstructiveness, noun
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
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