cooperative

or co-op·er·a·tive

[ koh-op-er-uh-tiv, -op-ruh-tiv, -op-uh-rey-tiv ]

adjective

1. working or acting together willingly for a common purpose or benefit.
2. demonstrating a willingness to cooperate:

   The librarian was cooperative in helping us find the book.

3. pertaining to economic cooperation:

   a cooperative business.

4. involving or denoting an educational program comprising both classroom study and on-the-job or technical training, especially in colleges and universities.

noun

1. a jointly owned enterprise engaging in the production or distribution of goods or the supplying of services, operated by its members for their mutual benefit, typically organized by consumers or farmers.
2. Also called co-op,
   1. a building owned and managed by a corporation in which shares are sold, entitling the shareholders to occupy individual units in the building.
   2. an apartment in such a building. Compare condominium ( defs 1, 2 ).

cooperative

/ kəʊˈɒpərətɪv; -ˈɒprə- /

adjective

1. willing to cooperate; helpful
2. acting in conjunction with others; cooperating
3. 1. (of an enterprise, farm, etc) owned collectively and managed for joint economic benefit
   2. (of an economy or economic activity) based on collective ownership and cooperative use of the means of production and distribution

noun

1. a cooperative organization
2. Also calledcooperative apartment a block of flats belonging to a corporation in which shares are owned in proportion to the relative value of the flat occupied Sometimes shortened tocoop Compare condominium

Derived Forms

• coˈoperativeness, noun
• coˈoperatively, adverb

Other Words From

• co·op·er·a·tive·ly co-op·er·a·tive·ly [koh-, op, -er-, uh, -tiv-lee, -, op, -r, uh, -tiv-, -, op, -, uh, -rey-tiv-], adverb
• co·op·er·a·tive·ness co-op·er·a·tive·ness noun
• un·co·op·er·a·tive adjective
• un·co·op·er·a·tive·ly adverb
• un·co·op·er·a·tive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cooperative¹

From the Late Latin word cooperātīvus, dating back to 1595–1605. See cooperate, -ive

Example Sentences

As a socialist, Sartini believes in cooperative effort, and he’s tried to mold his blue-collar team to reflect that.

From Los Angeles Times

Even in defeat, we must be grateful to Harris for a tremendous job embodying a different vision: one in which Americans can be kind, cooperative, and, yes, joyful.

From Salon

At the same time, small-scale farmers and cooperatives are working to restore soil health by reintegrating cows and other grazing animals into sustainable farming practices to produce more high-quality, environmentally friendly meat.

From Salon

Community provides a safety net, study buddies and a cooperative energy that allows magic to thrive.

From Salon

With the cancer diagnosis giving Jane a new "focus", she found a group of similar families nearby - many old school friends of Ellie's - who were looking to start something called a housing cooperative.

From BBC

Related Words

• collegial
• concerted
• coordinated
• harmonious
• interdependent
• reciprocal
• symbiotic
• united