1
as in reformative
serving to raise or adjust something to some standard or proper condition
eyeglasses are called corrective lenses by the department of motor vehicles
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
a corrective sentence of five years' hard labor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in offset
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
a substantial outflow of people proved to be the necessary corrective for the spiraling cost of housing
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in antidote
something that corrects or counteracts something undesirable
the only corrective to bad behavior is good, firm discipline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of corrective
Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
While Worth Girvan knows the levers of government, Gaspar’s private-sector background offers a necessary corrective to a council often insulated from economic realities.
—The Editorial Board, Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
The 2025 College Rankings from Washington Monthly offer a corrective.
—Bruno V. Manno, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrective
Adjective
Patrick said the camp shouldn't reopen until the flood was fully investigated and any necessary corrective actions were taken.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
While Worth Girvan knows the levers of government, Gaspar’s private-sector background offers a necessary corrective to a council often insulated from economic realities.
—The Editorial Board, Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.
—Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
The 2025 College Rankings from Washington Monthly offer a corrective.
—Bruno V. Manno, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrective
Adjective
-
As part of the reformative aims of the convict system, many of these men were incarcerated at Fremantle Prison, trained, and put to work on infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads, and public buildings.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Fifty-five years after Martin Luther King's death, African Americans continue to proudly honor his reformative legacy in Phoenix.—
The Arizona Republic,
The Arizona Republic,
14 Jan. 2024
Adjective
-
The union picked up $50,000 from United Teachers Los Angeles and another $50,000 from Smart Justice California, a group focused on less punitive public safety strategies.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
And consequences shouldn’t be punitive.—
Krista Spurgin,
Denver Post,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Transfer dough to prepared pan and, using an offset spatula lightly coated with nonstick spray, spread into an even layer, working all the way to the edges.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
-
When the offset bulbs are sending up stems, and there is too much competition for space and resources, the patch of bulbs will produce fewer, or smaller, flowers than before.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But online as an antidote only works if the sector stops confusing access with quality.—
Ian Gibson,
Twin Cities,
1 May 2026
-
But online as an antidote only works if the sector stops confusing access with quality.—
Ian Gibson,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The video titles, descriptions and opening sequences often give the illusion that the content is educational and beneficial for toddlers and preschoolers.—
Dana Suskind,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Basil and tomatoes share a mutually beneficial relationship.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Thedford didn’t doubt that Talley made efforts at self-improvement while behind bars, but noted that one of his previous cases involved a charge of Talley throwing feces at a correctional officer while in custody.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Video footage of the incident obtained by KQED appears to show the women gesticulating and shouting at the correctional staff before the officers form a line and deploy pepper spray and mace grenades at the group.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At the counter, the girls realized no one had brought money.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
At the counter, Sakeena was slicing slabs of goat meat into small cubes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Clark’s wise remedy is to strip her fiction of most of those facts, reducing the local references so that the narrative shifts away from singular autobiography toward singular emblem.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
But civil penalties were removed from the law two decades ago, leaving federal regulators with fewer effective remedies to enforce the law or sanction bad actors.—
Quil Lawrence,
NPR,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Corrective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrective. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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