associative

[ uh-soh-shee-ey-tiv, -see-, -shuh-tiv ]
See synonyms for associative on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to or resulting from association.

  2. tending to associate or unite.

  1. Mathematics, Logic.

    • (of an operation on a set of elements) giving an equivalent expression when elements are grouped without change of order, as (a + b) + c = a + (b + c).

    • having reference to this property: associative law of multiplication.

Origin of associative

1
First recorded in 1805–15; associate + -ive

Other words from associative

  • as·so·ci·a·tive·ly [uh-soh-shee-ey-tiv-lee, -uh-tiv-, -see-], /əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪ tɪv li, -ə tɪv-, -si-/, adverb
  • as·so·ci·a·tiv·i·ty [uh-soh-shee-uh-tiv-i-tee, -see-, -shuh-tiv-], /əˌsoʊ ʃi əˈtɪv ɪ ti, -si-, -ʃəˈtɪv-/, as·so·ci·a·tive·ness, noun
  • non·as·so·ci·a·tive, adjective
  • non·as·so·ci·a·tive·ly, adverb
  • sub·as·so·ci·a·tive, adjective
  • sub·as·so·ci·a·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·as·so·ci·a·tive, adjective
  • un·as·so·ci·a·tive·ly, adverb

Words Nearby associative

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How to use associative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for associative

associative

/ (əˈsəʊʃɪətɪv) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or causing association or union

  2. maths logic

    • being independent of the grouping of numbers, symbols, or terms within a given set, as in conjunction or in an expression such as (2 × 3) × 4 = 2 × (3 × 4)

    • referring to this property: the associative laws of arithmetic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for associative

associative

[ ə-sōshə-tĭv ]


  1. Of or relating to the property of an operation, such as addition or multiplication, which states that the grouping of numbers undergoing the operation does not change the result. For example, 3 + (4 + 5) is equal to (3 + 4) + 5. See also commutative distributive.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.