constitutive

[ kon-sti-too-tiv, -tyoo- ]

adjective

1. constituent; making a thing what it is; essential.
2. having power to establish or enact.
3. Physics, Chemistry. pertaining to a molecular property determined primarily by the arrangement of atoms in the molecule rather than by their nature or number.

constitutive

/ ˈkɒnstɪˌtjuːtɪv /

adjective

1. having power to enact, appoint, or establish
2. chem (of a physical property) determined by the arrangement of atoms in a molecule rather than by their nature
3. biochem (of an enzyme) formed continuously, irrespective of the cell's needs
4. another word for constituent

Derived Forms

• ˈconstiˌtutively, adverb

Other Words From

• consti·tutive·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of constitutive¹

First recorded in 1585–95; constitute + -ive

Example Sentences

Gun violence has become constitutive of who we are.

From Salon

"We shall always support anything that all three constitutive peoples agree upon," Vucic said, referring to Bosnia's Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosniaks.

From Reuters

But in Meacham’s treatment, such personal details function as supporting pieces in a story designed around high-stakes campaign speeches, the constitutive ritual of inaugurations and grave moments of statesmanship.

From Washington Post

Rather than seeing federal Indian policy as a constitutive feature of the emerging administrative state, “Indigenous Continent” discounts it, strangely suggesting that “reservations were a sign of American weakness, not strength.”

From Washington Post

And in fact, the ability to circumscribe rights for particular groups of Americans was itself constitutive of that hierarchical power.

From New York Times