collective

adjective

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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

Other Words from collective Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About collective

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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 When Moore told the women the hiking club would take a break before starting up again in March, the general response was a collective dismay. — Nedra Rhone, ajc, 8 Oct. 2021 Wanamaker shot a collective .188 on 3s last season with 5.5 points and 2.9 assists in 17 minutes per game. — David Woods, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Oct. 2021 What happens when the digital business outpaces collective store growth and is about half of the total business? — Walter Loeb, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2021 Today the application of menstrual leave policy varies across Japan, with decisions about the amount of time allowed and whether it is paid often left to collective negotiations with unions and employers’ discretion. — Ashifa Kassam, Time, 8 Oct. 2021 As Ava DuVernay’s narrative change collective ARRAY celebrates its 10th anniversary, the company has added six executives to its ranks: Anne-Marie McGintee, MJ Caballero, Jasmine Mazyck, Eric Fisher, Dià Brown and Meredith Shea. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 7 Oct. 2021 Unless otherwise noted, album streaming figures cited represent collective U.S. on-demand audio totals for an album’s tracks, and song/artist streaming figures represent U.S. on-demand audio and video totals. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2021 His putting Mike Conley on skates, then finishing over Rudy Gobert at the rim in a livestreamed scrimmage got the masses’ collective tongues hanging out of their mouths. — Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Oct. 2021 And, taken all together, what the Lab found was that monuments often carried distortions, omissions, and willful misconceptions of our collective history. — Diana Budds, Curbed, 29 Sep. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun After traveling to Oaxaca, Felix found a talented hard-working collective of women who make beautiful rugs by hand, using local resources and materials. — Nafeesah Allen, House Beautiful, 27 Sep. 2021 The brand has plans to add to the collective of designers over time as well as a brick and mortar store to complement the online DTC experience. — Rachel Besser, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2021 Led by the organizers Joela Rivera and Qween Jean, both Black trans women, the Stonewall Protests refer as much to a collective as to the standing series of demonstrations. — New York Times, 18 Aug. 2021 In 2020, Corchon settled into the Park West neighborhood in downtown Miami and sought to build a collective of creatives with whom to work on large productions. — Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2021 Find a business partner or a collective of like-minded entrepreneurs to support you through the hard times and ride with you through the high times. — Ellevate, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2021 More than just an art space, Shtetl is evolving into a social center for creative Hasidic minds—a collective of the Hasidic avant garde. — Avital Chizhik-goldschmidt, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2021 An initiative to collect submissions was led by GYOPO, a collective of diasporic Korean artists in Los Angeles. — Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021 Over 90% of the 12,000 midwives in the US today are white, and less than 700 are Black, says Michelle Drew, a midwife and the director of Ubuntu, a collective of healthcare and community workers serving Black families in Delaware. — Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 4 Sep. 2021

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.

History and Etymology for collective

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

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