collective

adjective

col·lec·tive | \ kə-ˈlek-tiv

Definition of collective

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole flock is a collective word

2a : formed by collecting : aggregated

b of a fruit : multiple

3a : 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

collective

noun

Definition of collective (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a collective body : group a social collective

2 : a cooperative unit or organization specifically : collective farm

3 : a helicopter control system governing lift

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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

By the end: organic cotton pants sewn by a Sri Lankan women’s collective. — Marisa Meltzer, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Latest Travel Trend? Super Sabbaticals," 24 Dec. 2018 In this interpretation of the evidence, at the start of the collision, the quark-quark interactions set up a collective behavior. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Quark-gluon plasma reveals viscosity-free properties," 19 Dec. 2018 Perhaps more than any other year, 2018 saw countless shocking changes, as risky chops and megawatt color gambles peppered collective Instagram feeds at the speed of light. — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "The Celebrity Hair Transformations That Ruled 2018," 9 Dec. 2018 My own levels of religious observance have waxed and waned over the years, but I’ve always been drawn to synagogues as sites of both Jewish and collective memory. — Leslie Camhi, ELLE Decor, "Inside the World's Most Beautiful Synagogues," 5 Nov. 2018 And our individual and collective mental and spiritual well-being will be challenged. — Sage Grace Dolan-sandrino, Teen Vogue, "I'm a Trans Student, and the Trump Administration Memo Won't Erase Me," 23 Oct. 2018 Fair-share fees fix the problem by requiring non-members to pay fees that support those collective-bargaining efforts. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Supreme Court’s Conservatives Take Their Long-Awaited Shot at Unions," 27 June 2018 In the bottom of the fifth inning, St. X took a collective gasp when Hazard’s Dalton Baker ripped a pitch toward the left-field wall. — Kenzie Winstead, The Courier-Journal, "St. Xavier baseball beats Hazard 3-0 to advance to state championship," 15 June 2018 When Mary-Beth Kaeser brought the golden eagle Chrysos from her cage, the crowd at the Audubon Center in Pomfret let out a collective gasp. — Denise Coffey, Courant Community, "Horizon Wings Shares Majesty Of Area Raptors," 29 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Since their first record, the band has remained a rotating collective led by Elm. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "Finding the Soundtrack to My Desert Life," 25 Apr. 2018 The Art Ensemble was an outgrowth of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, a not-for-profit collective that formed in Chicago in 1965. — Martin Johnson, WSJ, "‘The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Associated Ensembles’ Review: First-Rate Riffs From the Second City," 3 Dec. 2018 Archigram Archives Neatly bound, colorfully illustrated, and comprehensive in its scope, Archigram: The Book, a new exploration of the influential and imaginative ’60s British architecture collective, ticks all the coffee table boxes. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "How the Archigram architectural collective, profiled in a comprehensive new book, designed for a more radical, and random, future," 26 Nov. 2018 Yeah, so Data for Democracy is a data-science collective. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Data for Democracy policy head Renée DiResta answers disinformation questions on Too Embarrassed to Ask," 14 July 2018 The hacker was once part of a collective called UGNazi, according to a private security firm's report included in the public records request. — Nathaniel Herz, Anchorage Daily News, "Hackers broke partway into Alaska’s election system in 2016. Officials say no damage was done.," 8 May 2018 Combining elements of world music with electronic sounds and beats, the London collective hit upon a distinctive, life-affirming sound that brought significant European success and spawned a host of imitators. — Brian Mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Transglobal Underground's electro-worldbeat to brighten Concert of Colors," 12 July 2018 In 2016 the collective launched the Breathing Room, a monthly open-mike series in North Lawndale intended to amplify the voices of people living in one of Chicago’s most disenfranchised neighborhoods. — Matt Harvey, Chicago Reader, "Chicagoans / Poetry / Race South-side poet Kwynology wants people to fall back in love with Chicago at her open mike," 25 June 2018 And then there’s the women’s collective led by the daughter of disgraced diet gurus, Verena Baptist (Robin Weigert). — Lorraine Ali, latimes.com, "Why Marti Noxon's 'Dietland' is the right show for the #MeToo moment," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'collective.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.