associative

American  

[uh-soh-shee-ey-tiv, -see-, -shuh-tiv] / əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪ tɪv, -si-, -ʃə tɪv /

adjective

1. pertaining to or resulting from association.

2. tending to associate or unite.

3. Mathematics, Logic.

   1. (of an operation on a set of elements) giving an equivalent expression when elements are grouped without change of order, as (a +b ) + c = a + (b +c ).

   2. having reference to this property.

      associative law of multiplication.

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associative British  

/ əˈsəʊʃɪətɪv /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or causing association or union

2. maths logic

   1. being independent of the grouping of numbers, symbols, or terms within a given set, as in conjunction or in an expression such as (2 × 3) × 4 = 2 × (3 × 4)

   2. referring to this property

      the associative laws of arithmetic

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associative Scientific  

/ ə-sō′shə-tĭv /

1. Of or relating to the property of an operation, such as addition or multiplication, which states that the grouping of numbers undergoing the operation does not change the result. For example, 3 + (4 + 5) is equal to (3 + 4) + 5.

2. See also commutative distributive

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Other Word Forms

• associatively adverb
• associativeness noun
• associativity noun
• nonassociative adjective
• nonassociatively adverb
• subassociative adjective
• subassociatively adverb
• unassociative adjective
• unassociatively adverb

Etymology

Origin of associative

First recorded in 1805–15; associate + -ive

Explanation

Something that's associative involves connections between things, especially ideas or processes. An associative memory, for example, might come from a scent that your mind connects with a specific place you visited as a child. Although you can use the adjective to describe all kinds of things that are characterized by the idea of connection or association, you're most likely to find it in scholarly writing. In psychology or neuroscience you might read about "associative learning," in which a certain behavior results in a stimulus — a reward or punishment. The association between the action and the result makes this kind of learning associative. The Latin root is associare, "join with."

Example Sentences

The concept of associative play refers to how well a player links up with his team-mates.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

Most of his lyrics read the way poems do, abandoning the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse-chorus structure of standard pop songs for the loosely associative through line typical of free-verse poetry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

From chapter to chapter, Lockwood deploys an associative strategy: anecdotes, memories and social commentary string together, rich and kinetic if confusing.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2025

Inching close to the actor and composer, he played free associative word games with his name and pointed out the absurdity of the situation.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2025

He describes the slowly rotating Earth viewed from the lunar surface and imagines the continents and oceans of our planet to produce some associative image like the Man in the Moon.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan