formative

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈfɔrmətɪv/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Serving to form or shape something; having a profound and lasting influence on development, especially during an early stage.; Relating to or concerned with the development and growth of something.; In education, relating to assessment that monitors student learning to provide ongoing feedback and improve instruction, as opposed to summative assessment.; In linguistics, relating to a morpheme or word element that contributes to the formation of a word.
  2. noun
    In linguistics, a morpheme or word element used in word formation.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more formative Superlative: most formative

Collocations

formative yearsformative experienceformative periodformative influenceformative stageformative assessment

Derivatives

formformationformatformalformallyformalityformulateformula

Synonyms

developmentalinfluentialshapingmouldingseminal

Antonyms

inconsequentialtrivial

Commonly confused

formal
EN: 'Formal' relates to established rules, ceremony, or structure; 'formative' relates to development and shaping influence.
format
EN: 'Format' refers to the arrangement or layout of something; 'formative' describes something that shapes development.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'formative' (shaping, developmental) with 'formal' (official, ceremonial) or 'format' (layout, arrangement).

💬 Examples

  1. Her formative years were spent in rural Ireland, which shaped her worldview.

  2. The formative period of the company was marked by rapid experimentation.

  3. The teacher used formative assessments such as quizzes and class discussions to gauge student understanding.

  4. The suffix '-tion' is a formative element in English that creates nouns from verbs.

  5. Linguists analyzed the formatives present in the complex word 'unhappiness'.