affective

[ af-ek-tiv ]

adjective

1. of, caused by, or expressing emotion or feeling; emotional.
2. causing emotion or feeling.

affective

/ ˌæfɛkˈtɪvɪtɪ; əˈfɛktɪv /

adjective

1. psychol relating to affects
2. concerned with or arousing the emotions or affection

Derived Forms

• affectivity, noun

Other Words From

• affec·tive·ly adverb
• af·fec·tiv·i·ty [af-ek-, tiv, -i-tee], noun
• nonaf·fective adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of affective¹

1540–50; from Medieval Latin affectīvus, equivalent to Latin affect(us) (action noun; affect ¹ ) + -īvus -ive

Example Sentences

The Aztec death whistle seems to acoustically and affectively mimic other deterring sounds.

From Science Daily

Notably, losing an hour of daylight can take a toll on people who are susceptible to seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that peaks during the darker winter months.

From Los Angeles Times

Human beings are notoriously bad at what’s known as affective forecasting, or accurately predicting the intensity and duration of our emotional experiences in the future.

From Los Angeles Times

It can be used to treat a seasonal affective disorder.

From BBC

We would be remiss not to mention emotion-monitoring systems, intended to capture animals' affective states and enable adjustments to improve welfare conditions.

From Salon