Definition of COLLECTIVE (original) (raw)
1
: denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole
flock is a collective word
3
a
: of, relating to, or being a group of individuals
b
: involving all members of a group as distinct from its individuals
4
: marked by similarity among or with the members of a group
the collective interests of the town
6
: shared or assumed by all members of the group
collective responsibility
the collective opinion of the staff
1
: a collective body : group
2
: a cooperative unit or organization
3
: a helicopter control system governing lift
Synonyms
Examples of collective in a Sentence
Adjective
We made a collective decision to go on strike. The incident became part of our collective memory. the collective wisdom of generations
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Throughout the organization, there was a collective sense of relief. —
Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025 There was none of the shock and awe involved as Manchester City spent £178m in a month to try to arrest their slide as part of a £403m collective spend across the 20 Premier League clubs. —Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
Other notable prizes were taken home by the Palestinian-Israeli collective behind documentary No Other Land, and Breakthrough Performer for Anora‘s Mikey Madison. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2025 Six One Tribe: The Nashville hip-hop collective puts on an unparalleled live show featuring an array of artists. —Nate Rau, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for collective 
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English collectif, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin collēctīvus, going back to Late Latin, "comprehensive, (in logic and grammar) inferential," going back to Latin, "preceding by inference, deductive," from collēctus, past participle of colligere "to gather together, assemble, accumulate, deduce, infer" + -īvus -ive — more at collect entry 2
Noun
derivative of collective entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of collective was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near collective
Cite this Entry
“Collective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 8 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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