corrective

adjective

cor·​rec·​tive kə-ˈrek-tiv How to pronounce corrective (audio)
: intended to correct
corrective lenses
corrective punishment
corrective noun
correctively adverb

Examples of corrective in a Sentence

She had corrective surgery on her knee this past summer. People with bad eyesight usually need to wear corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses or contact lenses.
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.
This decision highlights the precise reasons securities plaintiffs will continue to rely on these reports to allege corrective disclosures and loss causation. Tim Reynolds, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025 For Twigs, who has spent much of 2025 testing the limits of scale and fetishistic form, the stiletto reads as both archival and corrective — a pivot into sleekness at a show designed to reframe Ford’s legacy for a new era. Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2025 Skarsgård made the film partially as a corrective on the historical depiction of the gay leather scene. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025 Within less than a year, the Sheriff’s Office had issued corrective action notices to NaphCare for failing to pay outside hospitals and medical specialists, using unlicensed staff and ignoring requests to replace broken medical equipment, among other deficiencies. Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for corrective

Word History

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of corrective was in 1531

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Cite this Entry

“Corrective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corrective. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

corrective

adjective
cor·​rec·​tive kə-ˈrek-tiv How to pronounce corrective (audio)
: serving to correct : having the power of making right, normal, or regular
corrective lenses
corrective action
corrective noun

Medical Definition

corrective

1 of 2 adjective
cor·​rec·​tive kə-ˈrek-tiv How to pronounce corrective (audio)
: intended to correct
corrective lenses
corrective surgery
correctively adverb

corrective

2 of 2 noun
: a medication that removes undesirable or unpleasant side effects of other medication
phenobarbital acts as a corrective in overcoming the insomnia produced by ephedrine

More from Merriam-Webster on corrective

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