col·lec·tive
kə-ˈlek-tiv 
1
: denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole
flock is a collective word
2
a
: formed by collecting : aggregated
b
of a fruit
: multiple
3
a
: of, relating to, or being a group of individuals
b
: involving all members of a group as distinct from its individuals
a collective action
4
: marked by similarity among or with the members of a group
the collective interests of the town
5
: collectivized or characterized by collectivism
collective farming
collective communities
6
: shared or assumed by all members of the group
collective responsibility
the collective opinion of the staff
collective guilt
collectively
adverb
1
: a collective body : group
a social collective
2
: a cooperative unit or organization
specifically
: collective farm
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
Hanya Yanagihara, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
But those areas, the data showed, grew by a collective 527,000 residents in 2022 and another 870,000 in 2023.
—Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Few other things allow billions of people to share in a collective experience like this.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Times have changed since Abe put the country on the path to collective self-defense alongside the United States and other partners.
—Tomohiko Taniguchi, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
But when looking at Day’s Butt-Head, Gardner immediately broke into laughter causing a collective laughter in the audience.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
Smartphones and apps are important cultural markers, and their evolving designs reflect our collective moment and mood.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
What’s happening: Just over two years ago, the world’s largest lenders and asset managers gathered in Glasgow and pledged to spend a collective $130 trillion (that’s nearly five times larger than the US economy) to tackle climate change.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
That collective memory is also being preserved at the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum in Maryland and at Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in Richmond, California, which sits on the shoreline where battleships were once made.
—Michelle Miller, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The still-growing collective recently added several new members, including Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, a network of archaeological sites about 200 miles west of Melbourne.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Under the collective’s documentary film and media fellowship, six Indian heritage filmmakers based in India and U.S. will receive a grant of $2000 each, funded by Color Congress, to progress their ongoing short or long form documentary projects.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
And, indeed, non-Western leaders including Narendra Modi of India and Mia Mottley of Barbados have begun to articulate the priorities of a collective—if still rather amorphous—global South on issues such as climate financing and the role of international institutions.
—Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
This collective provides a unique solution, bridging crucial organizational gaps with top-tier talent that is often challenging for early-stage companies to secure on a full-time basis.
—Kevin King, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Aries is so important that astrologers can read a chart for when the sun goes into Aries (this year that was March 19 at 11:07 p.m.) and it can be used to predict what the whole year will be about for the collective from that location.
—Emily Newhouse, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024
Switching schools for most players means providing a bank routing number to a different NIL collective.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Sinclair and others founded the Detroit Artists Workshop, a loosely knit collective that eventually included several houses and two buildings around West Warren Avenue and the Lodge Freeway that served as venues for avant-garde culture and publications.
—Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Their collective perseverance — a mix of dogged determination and wild hope — is a reminder for all of us that a creative life, that all life, takes nerve.
—Hanya Yanagihara, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
But those areas, the data showed, grew by a collective 527,000 residents in 2022 and another 870,000 in 2023.
—Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Few other things allow billions of people to share in a collective experience like this.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Times have changed since Abe put the country on the path to collective self-defense alongside the United States and other partners.
—Tomohiko Taniguchi, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
But when looking at Day’s Butt-Head, Gardner immediately broke into laughter causing a collective laughter in the audience.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
Smartphones and apps are important cultural markers, and their evolving designs reflect our collective moment and mood.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
What’s happening: Just over two years ago, the world’s largest lenders and asset managers gathered in Glasgow and pledged to spend a collective $130 trillion (that’s nearly five times larger than the US economy) to tackle climate change.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
That collective memory is also being preserved at the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum in Maryland and at Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in Richmond, California, which sits on the shoreline where battleships were once made.
—Michelle Miller, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
Abigail has been a long time coming for Radio Silence, the filmmaking collective consisting of co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin/Tyler Gillett and producer Chad Villella.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The still-growing collective recently added several new members, including Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, a network of archaeological sites about 200 miles west of Melbourne.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Under the collective’s documentary film and media fellowship, six Indian heritage filmmakers based in India and U.S. will receive a grant of $2000 each, funded by Color Congress, to progress their ongoing short or long form documentary projects.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
And, indeed, non-Western leaders including Narendra Modi of India and Mia Mottley of Barbados have begun to articulate the priorities of a collective—if still rather amorphous—global South on issues such as climate financing and the role of international institutions.
—Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
This collective provides a unique solution, bridging crucial organizational gaps with top-tier talent that is often challenging for early-stage companies to secure on a full-time basis.
—Kevin King, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Aries is so important that astrologers can read a chart for when the sun goes into Aries (this year that was March 19 at 11:07 p.m.) and it can be used to predict what the whole year will be about for the collective from that location.
—Emily Newhouse, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024
Switching schools for most players means providing a bank routing number to a different NIL collective.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Sinclair and others founded the Detroit Artists Workshop, a loosely knit collective that eventually included several houses and two buildings around West Warren Avenue and the Lodge Freeway that served as venues for avant-garde culture and publications.
—Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near collective
Cite this Entry
“Collective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
collective
1 of 2 adjective
col·lec·tive
kə-ˈlek-tiv
1
: having to do with a number of persons or things considered as one group
"flock" is a collective noun
2
: formed by collecting
3
: of, relating to, or involving all members of a group
the collective feelings of the team
collective legal action
4
: shared or done by a number of persons as a group
a collective effort
collectively
adverb
collective
2 of 2 noun1
: a collective body : group
2
: a cooperative unit or organization
Legal Definition
collective
adjective
col·lec·tive
kə-ˈlek-tiv
: involving all members of a group as distinct from individual members
collectively
adverb
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