cooperative

1 of 2

adjective

co·​op·​er·​a·​tive kō-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv 

-ˈä-pə-ˌrā-

1

a

: marked by cooperation

cooperative efforts

b

: marked by a willingness and ability to work with others

cooperative neighbors

2

: of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative

a cooperative store

3

: relating to or comprising a program of combined liberal arts and technical studies at different schools

cooperatively adverb

cooperativeness noun

cooperative

2 of 2

noun

: an enterprise or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services

Synonyms

Adjective

• collaborative
• collective
• joint
• combined
• mutual
• communal

Examples of cooperative in a Sentence

Adjective

The witness was very cooperative.

a cooperative space project undertaken by Russia and the U.S.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Also, the Kansas side of the state line will play a major connective and cooperative role in staging the world’s largest sporting event. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2025

In Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, collective or cooperative land reforms—less grandiose and more grassroots than the Soviet or Chinese variants—brought substantive and lasting social change. —Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025

Noun

Most milk in the U.S., including in Vermont, is sold as a commodity to cooperatives or directly to processors. —Riley Robinson, Christian Science Monitor, 8 June 2025

However, the cooperative recently saw a modest rise in income to $711 million, up from $640 million the previous year, driven by cost-cutting efforts that included the elimination of 38 corporate positions in the spring. —Annika Merrilees, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see cooperate

Noun

see cooperate

First Known Use

Adjective

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1829, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cooperative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative
• deliberative

Kids Definition

cooperative

1 of 2 adjective

co·​op·​er·​a·​tive kō-ˈäp-(ə-)rət-iv 

-ˈäp-ə-ˌrāt-

1

: willing to cooperate

cooperative neighbors

2

: of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative

a cooperative store

cooperative apartments

cooperatively adverb

cooperativeness noun

cooperative

2 of 2 noun

: an association owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services

Legal Definition

cooperative

1 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, or organized as a cooperative

cooperative

2 of 2 noun

co·​op·​er·​a·​tive

: an enterprise or organization (as for banking and credit services or the ownership of residential property) that is owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services

called also co-op

compare condominium sense 1