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generative in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From Middle English generatyve, generatyf, generatif, equivalent to generate + -ive. Compare French génératif.
Pronunciation
Adjective
generative (comparative more generative, superlative most generative)
- Having the power of generating, propagating, originating, or producing.
- Synonym: creative
- Antonym: annihilative
1692, Richard Bentley, (please specify the sermon), London: , published 1692–1693:That generative particle.
1988, Andrew Radford, Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 127:Of course, structures like those associated with (36) and (37) constitute only a tiny subset of the infinite set of well-formed sentence structures found in English. We can increase the Generative Capacity of our grammar ( = the set of structures which it generates) either by expanding the Lexicon on the one hand, or by expanding the Categorial Rules (i.e. Phrase Structure Rules) on the other.
2025 January 30, Tessa Solomon, “AI Art Lacking ‘Human Expression’ Cannot Be Copyrighted, US Officials Say”, in ARTnews:The document states that despite its ongoing advancements, generative AI is liable to the United States’s current copyright principles, which take a strict stance on what material—human- or machine-made—qualifies for protection.
- (euphemistic) reproductive
1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page iii:Hence the ubiquity of Priapus himself as a sculptural representative of the generative principle, populated the Roman gardens, assertive in ithyphallic pose.
2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 91:This ceremony seals the covenant in the flesh of the male generative organ.
Derived terms
Translations
having the power of generating
German
Pronunciation
Adjective
generative
- inflection of generativ:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d͡ʒe.ne.raˈti.ve/
- Rhymes: -ive
- Hyphenation: ge‧ne‧ra‧tì‧ve
Adjective
generative
- feminine plural of generativo
Anagrams