collective

1 of 2

adjective

col·lec·tive kə-ˈlek-tiv

Synonyms of collective next

: denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole

flock is a collective word

: formed by collecting : aggregated

of a fruit : multiple

: of, relating to, or being a group of individuals

: involving all members of a group as distinct from its individuals

a collective action

: marked by similarity among or with the members of a group

the collective interests of the town

: collectivized or characterized by collectivism

collective farming

collective communities

: 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

: a collective body : group

a social collective

: a cooperative unit or organization

specifically : collective farm

: a helicopter control system governing lift

Example Sentences

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

The collective work of this foundation in pursuit of a world where everyone, truly everyone, is valued is just nothing short of awe inspiring. —

Town & Country, 18 May 2023 Honey Balenciaga, a member of the ballroom collective House of Balenciaga, dances alongside Beyoncé and, along with the rest of Bey’s cast of dancers, vogues like a pro. —

Scottie Andrew, CNN, 17 May 2023 Arnold said the layoffs and sales are a way for his clients to pay $5 million in collective damages from the settlement with the Ohio attorney general’s office. —

J. David Mcswane, ProPublica, 15 May 2023 Jordan Love, the new Leader of the Pack, and Co. are ticketed for a Thanksgiving appearance in Detroit plus five prime-time dates ... though it should be noted three occur after November, giving networks the option to flex away if Love breaks Titletown's collective heart. —

Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 12 May 2023 After the formation lap, the collective engine soundtracks reached a crescendo as the 20-car field fired off on the first of 57 laps. —

Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 8 May 2023 Glatter has shared their collective shock at hearing that, two months into filming Love & Death, Hulu was moving ahead with their own version of the Montgomery-Gore story. —

Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 May 2023 Yet in the 20th century, more collective approaches to child care withered, and our expansive sense of motherhood wilted along with them. —

Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023 The 12-strong cast vying for a $200,000 prize marks the third consecutive All Stars collective to have their season streamed on Paramount+, following All Stars 6 and last year's All Stars 7 all-winners edition, which was won by season 5 champion Jinkx Monsoon. —

Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 20 Apr. 2023

Noun

He’s brought in a variety of guest speakers, from heads of collectives, to branding experts, to compliance and NIL strategy staff with Big Ten universities. —

Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 17 May 2023 The collective is hoping to complete a rough cut of the first film in Ukraine by this autumn, before moving post-production and final editing to either France or Austria where co-producers Nabil Bellahsene (Les Valseurs) and Ralph Wieser (Mischief Films) are based. —

Lise Pedersen, Variety, 28 Apr. 2023 Bringing form to memory; blurring the lines between disciplines; manifesting the collective alongside the individual: All of these principles are at the heart of the practice of artist Dozie Kanu, a 30-year-old Houston native whose parents hail from Nigeria. —

Sean Santiago, ELLE Decor, 22 Apr. 2023 As a result, local environmental activists and a collective of local mayors and four Republican congressmen have suggested experts take a look at the effects of ocean floor surveying, which is currently underway as part of the preliminary steps toward an eventual offshore wind farm. —

Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023 Lindsay Lohan; Jake Paul; Ne-Yo | Credit: David M. Benett/Getty; Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty; Rachel Murray/Getty With the exception of Soulja Boy and Mahone, all the celebrities have settled with a collective of more than $400,000 without admittance or denial of wrongdoing, the SEC said. —

Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2023 After traveling to New York last year, Dallas photographer and filmmaker Jacob Tran can stay home for this year’s Samsung Galaxy creator collective. —

Lucy Ladis, Dallas News, 21 Mar. 2023 More than 40 collectives – made up of families who have lost a relative – are now using tech to kickstart mass searches and do so within hours of disappearance to increase life chances. —

Diana Baptista, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Mar. 2023 The collective has won 37 esports championships and enlists brand ambassadors from the sports, music and fashion industries to share the love of the game. —

Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of collective was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century