af·fec·tive
a-ˈfek-tiv 
1
: relating to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions : emotional
cognitive and affective symptoms
the novel's affective death scene
2
: expressing emotion
affective language
behaviors that elicit affective reactions
affectively
adverb
af·fec·tiv·i·ty
ˌa-ˌfek-ˈti-və-tē also ə-
plural -es
: ability to feel emotions : the division of mental life and activity relating to the emotions : emotion
Examples of affective in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Gerald J. Leonard,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Throughout, the novel’s close-third snapshots of the characters’ inner lives display a moral and affective nihilism.
—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
17 June 2026
Here, along with cognitive and affective variables, the choice of mass medium would play the most important role, with television and press the major focus of these studies.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Levy wrote a book about the way affective computing and other forms of biometric surveillance have been deployed in the trucking industry—a field that, due to its mobile and distributed workforce, was long immune to surveillance.
—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for affective
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
The review found meaningful relationships between leadership and affective contagion, including links to leader effectiveness and performance.
—
Gerald J. Leonard,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Throughout, the novel’s close-third snapshots of the characters’ inner lives display a moral and affective nihilism.
—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
17 June 2026
Here, along with cognitive and affective variables, the choice of mass medium would play the most important role, with television and press the major focus of these studies.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Levy wrote a book about the way affective computing and other forms of biometric surveillance have been deployed in the trucking industry—a field that, due to its mobile and distributed workforce, was long immune to surveillance.
—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for affective
Cite this Entry
“Affective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affective. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
affective
adjective
af·fec·tive
a-ˈfek-tiv
: relating to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions : emotional
affective symptoms
affectively
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
