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
• combined
• common
• communal
• concerted
• conjoint
• conjunct
• joint
• multiple
• mutual
• pooled
• public
• shared
• united

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

To build a cooperative relationship between airlines and the DOT, any rules must ultimately place passengers first. —Sheldon H. Jacobson, The Mercury News, 20 July 2024

Dana’s horror at Project 2025 and other Trumpworld plans shows that the high-stakes contrast between Democrats and Republicans extends well beyond cooperative defense. —Drew Goins, Washington Post, 12 July 2024

Noun

In Land of Women, Chilean actor Santiago Cabrera stars as Amat, a Spanish resident in the fictional Catalonian town of La Muga and the sole male participant in the all-female wine cooperative on which the city’s economy relies. —Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 July 2024

That astronomical sum – including hundreds of millions of dollars for transmission lines, electric substations and house wiring – is a huge reason other cooperatives have decided to help, their representatives said. —Ashley Killough, CNN, 3 July 2024

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

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