collective

1 of 2

adjective

col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce collective (audio)
1
: denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole
flock is a collective word
2
a
: formed by collecting : aggregated
b
of a fruit : multiple
3
a
: of, relating to, or being a group of individuals
b
: involving all members of a group as distinct from its individuals
a collective action
4
: marked by similarity among or with the members of a group
the collective interests of the town
5
: collectivized or characterized by collectivism
collective farming
collective communities
6
: shared or assumed by all members of the group
collective responsibility
the collective opinion of the staff
collective guilt
collectively adverb

collective

2 of 2

noun

1
: a collective body : group
a social collective
2
: a cooperative unit or organization
specifically : collective farm
3
: a helicopter control system governing lift

Examples of collective in a Sentence

Adjective We made a collective decision to go on strike. The incident became part of our collective memory. the collective wisdom of generations
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
While that may seem reasonable at first glance, the cumulative effect is staggering—over 11,000 years of collective waiting time for Virginians. James Broughel, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024 While analysts polled by FactSet maintain a consensus hold rating, their collective price targets call for more than 72% average upside. Brian Evans, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
Finding the small space inside the 100 Taylor collective was an 'aha' moment for Daniels and McKeel. Nate Rau, Axios, 23 Oct. 2024 Dave Chappelle performed the honor of introducing the collective in style of a moving tribute speech, thanking the legendary hip-hop collective for their contributions to music and crediting them for bringing him back to television after his 12 year hiatus. Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for collective 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English collectif, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin collēctīvus, going back to Late Latin, "comprehensive, (in logic and grammar) inferential," going back to Latin, "preceding by inference, deductive," from collēctus, past participle of colligere "to gather together, assemble, accumulate, deduce, infer" + -īvus -ive — more at collect entry 2

Noun

derivative of collective entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of collective was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near collective

Cite this Entry

“Collective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

collective

1 of 2 adjective
col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce collective (audio)
1
: having to do with a number of persons or things considered as one group
"flock" is a collective noun
2
: formed by collecting
3
: of, relating to, or involving all members of a group
the collective feelings of the team
collective legal action
4
: shared or done by a number of persons as a group
a collective effort
collectively adverb

collective

2 of 2 noun
1
: a collective body : group
2
: a cooperative unit or organization

Legal Definition

collective

adjective
col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce collective (audio)
: involving all members of a group as distinct from individual members
collectively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on collective

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