corrective

adjective

cor·​rec·​tive kə-ˈrek-tiv 

: intended to correct

corrective lenses

corrective punishment

corrective noun

correctively adverb

Synonyms of corrective

• reformative
• beneficial
• remedial

Examples of corrective in a Sentence

She had corrective surgery on her knee this past summer.

People with bad eyesight usually need to wear corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Recent Examples on the Web

The 29-year-old was substituted in the second half of last Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat against Como and requires corrective surgery for a medical condition that Napoli have confirmed is a mild, benign arrhythmia. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

These trajectories document a robot’s behavior before an intervention, the moment a human operator takes control, and the corrective actions used to recover or complete the task. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

As a direct result of Hinton’s leadership, Holifield said, the city of Cincinnati passed a 19-point corrective action plan from the NAACP to address discrimination against city workers. — Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Sep. 2026

The Bay Area Air District this week issued four corrective measures aimed at reducing hydrogen sulfide emissions from the landfill. — Da Lin, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing corrective

• self-corrective

Rhymes for corrective

• advective
• affective
• collective
• connective
• convective
• defective
• detective
• directive
• effective
• elective
• infective
• injective

Kids Definition

corrective

adjective

cor·​rec·​tive kə-ˈrek-tiv 

: serving to correct : having the power of making right, normal, or regular

corrective lenses

corrective action

corrective noun

Medical Definition

corrective

1 of 2 adjective

cor·​rec·​tive kə-ˈrek-tiv 

: intended to correct

corrective lenses

corrective surgery

correctively adverb

corrective

2 of 2 noun

: a medication that removes undesirable or unpleasant side effects of other medication

phenobarbital acts as a corrective in overcoming the insomnia produced by ephedrine