as in secondary
taken or created from something original or basic
a derivative style taken from earlier painters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in derivation
something that naturally develops or is developed from something else
the whole field of industrial robots is a derivative of technology developed for the space program
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of derivative
Mikelle Street, Them., 28 Aug. 2025
Also exempted are steel, aluminum and derivative products, passenger vehicles, copper and other goods subject to separate tariffs of up to 50% under the Section 232 national security trade law.
—David Lawder, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Steve Booren, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Bader’s formulation avoids this problem by using ascorbyl glucoside, a water-soluble derivative that stays intact in the bottle, then converts into active Vitamin C once absorbed.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derivative
Adjective
Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.
—Mikelle Street, Them., 28 Aug. 2025
Also exempted are steel, aluminum and derivative products, passenger vehicles, copper and other goods subject to separate tariffs of up to 50% under the Section 232 national security trade law.
—David Lawder, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
Despite post-1990s laws like the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act, regulators under Alan Greenspan ignored warnings about predatory lending and derivatives.
—Steve Booren, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Bader’s formulation avoids this problem by using ascorbyl glucoside, a water-soluble derivative that stays intact in the bottle, then converts into active Vitamin C once absorbed.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derivative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derivative
Adjective
-
There’s just no dependable secondary scoring and some defensive question marks on top of that.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Attendees and the overflow crowds watched the pyrotechnics and high-profile speeches from secondary venues.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Bose found a stronger mathematical derivation of Planck’s law.—
Matt von Hippel,
Quanta Magazine,
23 June 2025
-
Labels want systems that can not only detect direct sample reuse but also flag stylistic derivations within generative model outputs.—
Virginie Berger,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Deutsche Börse, which runs the Frankfurt Stock Exchange from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time five days a week for derivates and structured products, echoed Euronext.—
Ganesh Rao,Jenni Reid,
CNBC,
22 July 2025
-
With unique enough lore and a unique style, Saxon avoids making a derivate fable.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derivative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derivative. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share