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Definition of associative

associative

/əˈsoʊ.ʃi.eɪ.tɪv/
as · so · ci · a · tive
Adverb:associatively
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associative Lexical Profile

associative Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Relating to, resulting from, or characterized by the mental or social connection between ideas, concepts, or people.

Example

"Young children often engage in associative play, interacting and sharing toys without organizing around a single formal goal."

2

In mathematics, involving the condition that a group of quantities connected by operators gives the same result regardless of how the quantities are grouped, provided their order remains unchanged.

Example

"Addition and multiplication of real numbers are associative operations, whereas subtraction and division are not."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for associative

• Nearby Words

assless
associate
association
associative
assort
assorted
assortment

Word Origin & Etymology

Formed in the early 17th century from the verb 'associate' (from Latin associatus, meaning 'joined with') combined with the suffix '-ive'. Its specific mathematical sense was introduced in the 1840s by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Associative. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/associative
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