collective

1 of 2

adjective

col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• collaborative
• joint
• combined
• communal
• mutual
• shared

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

It’s aimed at weakening our collective, across-the-board sense of boundaries, the mutual adherence to limits that sports are supposed to teach. —Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025

The Second World War was still fresh in England’s collective memory and, for Charlton, there was also Munich. —Michael Walker, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

Noun

This team as a collective seemed proud of their season, triumphant in raising the bar for an organization that not long ago endured a decade-long playoff drought. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

Winners Alliance works directly with player associations and athlete collectives across sport to represent the group commercial rights of professional tennis players, cricketers, track athletes, EuroLeague basketball players and college football players. —Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 10 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing collective

• collective bargaining
• collective farm
• collective mark
• collective noun
• collective security
• collective unconscious

Rhymes for collective

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

Kids Definition

collective

1 of 2 adjective

col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv 

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 

: involving all members of a group as distinct from individual members

collectively adverb