constructive

adjective

con·struc·tive | \ kən-ˈstrək-tiv

Definition of constructive

1 : declared such by judicial construction or interpretation constructive fraud

2 : of or relating to construction or creation

3 : promoting improvement or development constructive criticism

Other Words from constructive Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about constructive

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of constructive in a Sentence

I tried to offer constructive criticism. Your feedback was not very constructive. The program helps people recently released from prison figure out how they can play a constructive role in society.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adopting a more constructive way of thinking about infrastructure would bring many benefits. — David Siegel, WSJ, "Don’t Binge on Bridge-Building," 18 June 2018 Even when the criticism is negative, its constructive—implying that these movies have the capacity to get better. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "Welcome to Rom-Com Week," 11 Feb. 2019 Musk and Sumwalt spoke by phone over the weekend and had what an agency spokesman said at the time was a constructive conversation. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "NTSB kicks Tesla off Model X crash investigation for blabbing information," 12 Apr. 2018 Establish ground rules for a constructive discussion; then turn the meeting over to her. — Marie G. Mcintyre, The Seattle Times, "2 options for handling mansplaining at work," 28 Nov. 2018 Our goal was to promote constructive discussion about the issues that divide us. — Mark Shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "Tom Werner hopes Roseanne ‘seeks the help she so clearly needs’," 30 May 2018 Hearing the truth about Trump from people like Mattis could play a very constructive political role. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "There never were any “adults in the room”," 21 Dec. 2018 There are plenty of constructive ways to fill 90 minutes. — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "What Happened When I Rode a Boosted Board From New York to Philadelphia," 27 Dec. 2018 The 2015 suit asked for $200 million for constructive termination, breach of contract, and breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing. — Sean Elder, Town & Country, "The War of The Grosses: Inside the Bitter Divorce Battle of the Laguna Beach "Bond King"," 22 Oct. 2018

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about constructive

Dictionary Entries near constructive

constructive catabolism

constructive escape

constructive malice

Statistics for constructive

Last Updated

19 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for constructive

The first known use of constructive was circa 1680

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for constructive

constructive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of constructive

: helping to develop or improve something : helpful to someone instead of upsetting and negative

See the full definition for constructive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

constructive

adjective

con·struc·tive | \ kən-ˈstrək-tiv

Kids Definition of constructive

: helping to develop or improve something constructive criticism

constructive

adjective

con·struc·tive | \ kən-ˈstrək-tiv

Legal Definition of constructive

: created by a legal fiction: as

a : inferred by a judicial construction or interpretation

b : not actual but implied by operation of the law made a constructive entry when he refused to take the opportunity for a voluntary departure — Harvard Law Review — compare actual