collective
Americanadjective
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formed by collection.
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forming a whole; combined.
the collective assets of a corporation and its subsidiaries.
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of or characteristic of a group of individuals taken together.
the collective wishes of the membership.
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organized according to the principles of collectivism.
a collective farm.
noun
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a collective body; group.
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a business, farm, etc., jointly owned and operated by the members of a group.
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a unit of organization or the organization in a collectivist system.
adjective
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formed or assembled by collection
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forming a whole or aggregate
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of, done by, or characteristic of individuals acting in cooperation
noun
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a cooperative enterprise or unit, such as a collective farm
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the members of such a cooperative
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short for collective noun
Other Word Forms
- collectively adverb
- collectiveness noun
- noncollective adjective
- uncollective adjective
Etymology
Origin of collective
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English collectif (from Middle French ), from Latin collēctīvus, equivalent to collēct(us) (past participle of colligere; collect 1 ) + -īvus -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a 1991 interview, retired Chief Justice Warren Burger scorned the view that the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms belongs to individuals rather than a collective militia.
In fact, Irreversible Entanglements, a free jazz collective that Ayewa is a member of, released its fifth studio album last week.
From Los Angeles Times
Despite those divisions, an estimated 125 to 150 million Americans tuned in to watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing, providing a rare moment of collective national pride at a difficult time in US history.
From BBC
Not that the Arsenal star will mind a dip in personal output if it means a win for the collective, bringing a league title or European glory to north London.
From BBC
Without a more robust multilateralism, we risk replacing an imperfect system of collective security with the brutal reality of widespread insecurity.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
