generative

adjective

gen·​er·​a·​tive ˈje-nə-rə-tiv 

ˈjen-rə-tiv, 

ˈje-nə-ˌrā-tiv 

: having the power or function of generating, originating, producing, or reproducing

… Elizabeth Gilbert dives into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity.

—Camryn La Sala

… her gift is essentially organizational rather than generative.

—Martin Filler

: such as

a

biology : of or relating to the production of offspring

vegetative and generative plant growth

the generative organs of mammals

see also generative cell, generative nucleus

b

computing : using artificial intelligence algorithms to create complete units of content (such as text compositions, images, audio, or video) based on a broad corpus of material

The newest models also come with AI integration that allows them to summarize text with generative technology.

—Cody D. Campbell

see also generative AI

Examples of generative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, with the cooperation of Kilmer’s estate and his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, Voorhees reconstructed the performance using generative artificial intelligence, assembling the role from archival material and digital tools. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026

As generative audio models have proliferated, the rate of AI uploads to Deezer has reached a staggering 44 percent—that’s 75,000 new AI tracks on Deezer every single day. —ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026

Google Cloud has set a multi-year partnership with Avid as the companies look to add generative and agentic AI tools to the video editing process. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026

Wednesday's announcement is not Starbucks' first foray into using generative artificial intelligence or partnering with OpenAI. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing generative

• generative AI
• generative artificial intelligence
• generative cell
• generative grammar
• generative nucleus
• generative semantics

Rhymes for generative

• degenerative
• regenerative
• neurodegenerative

Medical Definition

generative

adjective

gen·​er·​a·​tive ˈjen-(ə-)rət-iv  -ə-ˌrāt- 

: having the power or function of propagating or reproducing

generative organs