collaborative

American  

[kuh-lab-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv] / kəˈlæb əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv /

adjective

1. characterized or accomplished by cooperation or working together.

   collaborative methods;

   a collaborative report.

2. relating to or involving several organizations, groups, people, etc., working together for a common purpose.

   My doctor is now part of a collaborative practice.

   Modern policing is trending toward collaborative law enforcement, where police officers work hand-in-hand with community leaders and neighborhood associations.

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noun

1. a group of people working together for a common purpose.

   The collaborative of doctors was able to gather important new information about the illness by pooling anonymized patient data.

Usage

What does collaborative mean? Collaborative is an adjective that describes an effort in which people work together (that is, one in which they collaborate).Collaborative is often used in a positive context to refer to two or more parties successfully working together on a goal or shared project. It’s also increasingly used as a noun for an organized joint effort.Example: The groundbreaking new album was a collaborative effort by the two musicians, who usually have very different styles.

Other Word Forms

• collaboratively adverb
• uncollaborative adjective
• uncollaboratively adverb

Etymology

Origin of collaborative

collaborate + -ive

Example Sentences

A slower and less sophisticated version of “Blow My Mind” came out in 2002, while “Sucker for Love” was written with Norwegian duo Röyksopp in sessions for their 2014 collaborative EP.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

He’s quick to note the show’s collaborative ethos, however.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Approach this as a collaborative effort, not as a sister parachuting into his personal and financial life all guns blazing.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

"Companies develop preparedness for different types of disruption scenarios, using collaborative contingency plans and exercises."

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

It is, however, worth mentioning Parisian composer Etienne Loulie’s startlingly forward- looking collaborative studies with the ‘father’ of the science of acoustics, Joseph Sauveur, in the 1690s.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall