collective
Americanadjective
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formed by collection.
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forming a whole; combined.
the collective assets of a corporation and its subsidiaries.
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of or characteristic of a group of individuals taken together.
the collective wishes of the membership.
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organized according to the principles of collectivism.
a collective farm.
noun
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a collective body; group.
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a business, farm, etc., jointly owned and operated by the members of a group.
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a unit of organization or the organization in a collectivist system.
adjective
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formed or assembled by collection
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forming a whole or aggregate
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of, done by, or characteristic of individuals acting in cooperation
noun
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a cooperative enterprise or unit, such as a collective farm
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the members of such a cooperative
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short for collective noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of collective
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English collectif (from Middle French ), from Latin collēctīvus, equivalent to collēct(us) (past participle of colligere; see collect 1) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Collective is a word that describes a group of people acting together. A prom might turn into a smashing success through the collective efforts of the student body. The word collective indicates a group, and is often used in opposition to the efforts or will of an individual. Your neighbor who is the only one on the block who refuses to mow her lawn? She's going against the collective. A commune is a type of collective living situation in which several families might live together and contribute for the benefit of the whole. If you work well with others, then you appreciate how collective efforts often have better results.
Vocabulary lists containing collective
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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"What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?" Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But this time around, it’s not about the declassified information, or even the aliens themselves; it’s about our collective reaction to a global reckoning.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
New York’s generational basketball run–after decades of agony, frustration and futility–has turned the sharp-elbowed city into a collective block party, raucous, celebratory and oddly good-natured.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
There was a collective swoon when news came through on Thursday that McTominay, the totem, had an iffy tummy, but he's good now.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Still, Clark waved her ring around while the young audience screamed in their collective hope that all the internalized misogyny would lead to the happy ending they were promised.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
Except nothing did happen, and after a few more seconds of nothing, Jack, Phillip, and May all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
