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 of collective

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

Rights groups have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia since the EU agreement, including reports of collective expulsions, racial violence, arbitrary detention and abuses against Black migrants. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

Solitude, Then Synthesis That same logic—protect individual focus before demanding collective output—shows up in how Friedman thinks about creativity. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Noun

Needa Bee, a co-founder of the collective, said the group represents 89 vendors. — Da Lin, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026

The duo also took the unusual step of road-testing the material live throughout 2024 and 2025, performing in intimate, phone-free settings with Badu’s digital collective, the Cannabinoids, while The Alchemist worked the MPC. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 14 Aug. 2026

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