as in secondary
taken or created from something original or basic
a derivative style taken from earlier painters
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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
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Recent Examples of derivative
Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
For every schlocky, derivative entry, there’s one that endures.
—Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Felysha Walker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The compound was first synthesized in the early 1960s by researchers working with Endo Laboratories in Long Island, New York, who were investigating new derivatives related to earlier opioid antagonists.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derivative
Adjective
Prediction markets are overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an independent federal agency that has authority over derivative markets.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
For every schlocky, derivative entry, there’s one that endures.
—Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
Because of this, the market begins to feel less isolated and more linked to the broader derivative of space.
—Felysha Walker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The compound was first synthesized in the early 1960s by researchers working with Endo Laboratories in Long Island, New York, who were investigating new derivatives related to earlier opioid antagonists.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derivative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derivative
Adjective
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The framework then proposes evaluating AI systems across all 10 faculties and comparing their performance to a representative sample of human adults with at least the equivalent of a secondary education.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Rams sent the 29th overall pick plus fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2026 draft and a 2027 third-round pick to KC in exchange for the Pro Bowl CB, leaving a big hole open in the middle of the team’s secondary.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Five years after he was killed, in response to political unrest, the government increased the derivation fund to 13 percent for oil-producing states.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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Large Language Models often struggle with precise derivations and calculations in theoretical physics, sometimes exhibiting inconsistent reasoning.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Wall Street is also taking notice of the chipmaker as a derivate play of Alphabet’s growing AI dominance.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
24 Nov. 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 5 Apr. 2026.
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