normative

adjective nor·ma·tive \ ˈnȯr-mə-tiv \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of normative

1 : of, relating to, or determining norms or standards

normative tests

2 : conforming to or based on norms

normative behavior

normative judgments

3 : prescribing (see prescribe 1) norms

normative rules of ethics

normative grammar

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normatively

adverb

—

normativeness

noun

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Recent Examples of normative from the Web

The film was very much about Cady, played mostly as a normative character by an early-career Lindsay Lohan.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "Bye bye Lindsay Lohan. In Tina Fey's 'Mean Girls' on Broadway, the arty geeks take center stage.," 8 Apr. 2018
Many women are unhappy with their bodies—in Western consumer society, to be unhappy with some aspect of your body might almost be thought of as a normative condition of womanhood.

— jane mayer, The New Yorker, "The Story of a Trans Woman’s Face," 12 Mar. 2018
But motivations are hard to measure: It’s socially normative to do little acts like donating blood or giving to charity.

— lynn johnson, National Geographic, "How Fear Makes You Do Good Or Evil," 3 Jan. 2018
What’s a guy to do whose free-spirited life doesn’t adhere to puritanical normative hours?

— jeff gordinier, Esquire, "The Best New Restaurants in America 2017," 18 Oct. 2017
Other uses of discretion, however, are normative, or value-laden.

— bernardo zacka, The Atlantic, "Why Bureaucrats Don't Seem to Care," 12 Oct. 2017
Sarah Ruden took upon herself the Herculean task of translating Virgil line-by-line, in iambic pentameter, the normative rhythm of English verse, as dactylic hexameter is of ancient epic.

— willard spiegelman, WSJ, "Of Arms and the Man," 22 Sep. 2017
Identities that diverged from the normative Spanish identity that Franco promoted were regarded as a threat.

— emily lever, Esquire, "The Revolutionary History of Espadrilles," 17 Aug. 2017
First, WHO is the chief normative and convening authority in global health.

— mara pillinger, Washington Post, "The World Health Organization spends more on travel than on key diseases. That’s actually okay.," 22 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of normative

French normatif, from norme norm, from Latin norma

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First Known Use: 1852

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NORMATIVE Defined for English Language Learners

normative

adjective

Definition of normative for English Language Learners

: based on what is considered to be the usual or correct way of doing something

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Definition of normative

normatively

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normative

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