formative

[ fawr-muh-tiv ]

adjective

1. giving form or shape; forming; shaping; fashioning; molding:

   a formative process in manufacturing.

2. relating to formation or development:

   a child's most formative years.

   Synonyms: impressionable, receptive, susceptible

3. Biology.
   1. capable of developing new cells or tissue by cell division and differentiation:

      formative tissue.

   2. concerned with the formation of an embryo, organ, or the like.
4. Education. continuous and diagnostic, and covering specifically the current material with which the student is actively engaged; ongoing: formative evaluation; Compare summative ( def 2 ).

   formative assessment;

   formative evaluation;

   formative feedback.

5. Grammar. relating to a formative, an affix that indicates the part of speech of a derived word.

noun

1. Grammar. a derivational affix, particularly one that determines the part of speech of the derived word, as -ness, in loudness, hardness, etc.
2. Linguistics. (in generative grammar) any element, as a word, affix, or inflectional ending, functioning as a minimal syntactic unit that can be used in forming larger constructions.

formative

/ ˈfɔːmətɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to formation, development, or growth

   formative years

2. shaping; moulding

   a formative experience

3. (of tissues and cells in certain parts of an organism) capable of growth and differentiation
4. functioning in the formation of derived, inflected, or compound words

noun

1. an inflectional or derivational affix
2. (in generative grammar) any of the minimum units of a sentence that have syntactic function

Derived Forms

• ˈformatively, adverb
• ˈformativeness, noun

Other Words From

• form·a·tive·ly adverb
• form·a·tive·ness noun
• non·form·a·tive adjective
• non·form·a·tive·ly adverb
• sub·form·a·tive adjective
• sub·form·a·tive·ly adverb
• sub·form·a·tive·ness noun
• un·form·a·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of formative¹

First recorded in 1480–90; from Old French formatif (masculine), formative (feminine); formation, -ive

Example Sentences

“The Disciple of Experience,” as Part 1 is titled, chronicles the artist’s formative years and development of working methods.

From Los Angeles Times

It was incredible for me to experience that giant pop phenomenon through my formative years.

From Los Angeles Times

She has maintained close ties with the school and often describes her four years there as the most formative of her life.

From BBC

The next two years were a formative phase in his career as the young artist got a chance to meet American modern artists and see their works, which further developed his style.

From BBC

Those everyday experiences highlight how our formative years are crucial to understanding the American political process and how we form our views, which is highlighted in PBS’ four-part docuseries “Citizen Nation.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• developmental