collective

1 of 2

adjective

col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce collective (audio)
1
: denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole
flock is a collective word
2
a
: formed by collecting : aggregated
b
of a fruit : multiple
3
a
: of, relating to, or being a group of individuals
b
: involving all members of a group as distinct from its individuals
a collective action
4
: marked by similarity among or with the members of a group
the collective interests of the town
5
: collectivized or characterized by collectivism
collective farming
collective communities
6
: shared or assumed by all members of the group
collective responsibility
the collective opinion of the staff
collective guilt
collectively adverb

collective

2 of 2

noun

1
: a collective body : group
a social collective
2
: a cooperative unit or organization
specifically : collective farm
3
: a helicopter control system governing lift

Examples of collective in a Sentence

Adjective We made a collective decision to go on strike. The incident became part of our collective memory. the collective wisdom of generations
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said on May 22 that the plan would strengthen Europe’s collective defense and reduce the long-term cost of containing Russian aggression. Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 That money was to be held in trust for the collective benefit of tribes. Graham Lee Brewer, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Noun
Members like Erick Rowan, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, and Joe Gacy have been strongly linked or visually teased as part of this collective, continuing the dark and theatrical lore established by Wyatt. Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025 Broken Social Scene always seemed like more of a collective than a band, and a new clip from It’s All Gonna Break — an upcoming doc about the group that’s hitting movie theaters around North America in the months to come — shows the hard work the musicians had to put into getting on the road. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for collective

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English collectif, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin collēctīvus, going back to Late Latin, "comprehensive, (in logic and grammar) inferential," going back to Latin, "preceding by inference, deductive," from collēctus, past participle of colligere "to gather together, assemble, accumulate, deduce, infer" + -īvus -ive — more at collect entry 2

Noun

derivative of collective entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of collective was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Collective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

collective

1 of 2 adjective
col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce collective (audio)
1
: having to do with a number of persons or things considered as one group
"flock" is a collective noun
2
: formed by collecting
3
: of, relating to, or involving all members of a group
the collective feelings of the team
collective legal action
4
: shared or done by a number of persons as a group
a collective effort
collectively adverb

collective

2 of 2 noun
1
: a collective body : group
2
: a cooperative unit or organization

Legal Definition

collective

adjective
col·​lec·​tive kə-ˈlek-tiv How to pronounce collective (audio)
: involving all members of a group as distinct from individual members
collectively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on collective

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