as in intrinsic
being a part of the innermost nature of a person or thing
the proposition that liberty and justice are constitutive elements of an enlightened society
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Recent Examples of constitutive
What the poem’s constitutive range of modal verbs exemplify is a mode of poetic questioning.
—
Elaine L. Wang
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Our back-and-forths with a chatbot, in turn, exteriorize our private, internal dialogues, which some consider constitutive of thought itself.
—Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
There are the constitutive ingredients: her tightknit and loving parents — Marlean, an elementary school teacher, and Paul, a pastor— and their faith and the protective love of Wes.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 11 June 2025
Obviously, this dialectic has been constitutive of Gabriel Orozco’s work from the very beginning and determines it to this very day.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Art critic Eva Diaz, writing for ArtReview, says that
Of the ‘creative’ pursuits, architecture is among the most dependent on big piles of capital in order to get its work off the ground: patronage is a constitutive yoke of the profession.
—Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
After his beginnings at Modern Collections, Philbrick delved into corrupt financial machinations, enabled and empowered by the secrecy and instability that are constitutive features of the contemporary-art market.
—Rosa Lyster, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2024
Elaine L. Wang
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Our back-and-forths with a chatbot, in turn, exteriorize our private, internal dialogues, which some consider constitutive of thought itself.
—Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
There are the constitutive ingredients: her tightknit and loving parents — Marlean, an elementary school teacher, and Paul, a pastor— and their faith and the protective love of Wes.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 11 June 2025
Obviously, this dialectic has been constitutive of Gabriel Orozco’s work from the very beginning and determines it to this very day.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Art critic Eva Diaz, writing for ArtReview, says that
Of the ‘creative’ pursuits, architecture is among the most dependent on big piles of capital in order to get its work off the ground: patronage is a constitutive yoke of the profession.
—Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
After his beginnings at Modern Collections, Philbrick delved into corrupt financial machinations, enabled and empowered by the secrecy and instability that are constitutive features of the contemporary-art market.
—Rosa Lyster, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constitutive
Adjective
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These children are more likely to develop a strong intrinsic locus of control, which leaves them less vulnerable to anxiety and depression later in life.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement No—provided that the money is not the point, provided that what matters to one’s work as a philosopher is intrinsic, not instrumental.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For the most part, though, his attention to detail and his feeling for structure yielded readings of inherent, inarguable rightness.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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In fact, it's all done rather haphazardly, but with inherent purpose, which is exactly how a true Southern cook runs a kitchen.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For this longest time, a thorough fall clean-up of planting beds was an integral part of the traditional garden routine to tidy up after the gardening season and prepare for spring.—
Benjamin Vogt,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Oct. 2025
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Roufus was integral to his and his brother's success, according to Pettis.—
Cleo Krejci,
jsonline.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Such knowledge is essential for designing safer storage strategies for nuclear and industrial waste in the coming centuries.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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Given that the host cities for next year’s World Cup stretch from Vancouver to Mexico City, adapting to different climates will be essential.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Constitutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constitutive. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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