VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

formative

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈfɔːmətɪv/
US/ˈfɔːrmətɪv/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Having a strong effect on how a person or thing develops, especially in the early stages.

    Grammar: Almost always comes before the noun: formative years, not years that are formative.

    Patterns

    • formative years
    • a formative experience

    Her formative years in a small fishing village shaped her love of the sea.

    Traveling alone at nineteen was a formative experience for him.

    Teachers have a formative influence on young children.

  2. adjectivebefore a nountechnical

    Concerned with shaping or checking progress during learning rather than giving a final grade.

    Grammar: Used in education: formative assessment is the opposite of summative assessment.

    Patterns

    • formative assessment
    • formative feedback

    The teacher uses short quizzes as formative assessment to see who needs help.

    Formative feedback on the draft helped me improve before the final submission.

Common combinations

formative years
He spent his formative years in Chicago.
formative experience
The internship was a formative experience.
formative influence
His grandmother was a formative influence on him.
formative assessment
Formative assessment happens throughout the course.
formative stage
The project is still at a formative stage.

Synonyms and how they differ

influential
Influential says someone or something has an effect, but formative says the effect shaped character or development.
developmental
Developmental simply relates to growth, while formative stresses that the period or event gave something its lasting shape.
shaping
Shaping is plain and general, whereas formative is the fixed, slightly formal phrase for early life.

Opposites

finalsummative

Word family

form verb
to bring something into being or shape it
formation noun
the process of shaping or developing something
formatively adverb
in a way that shapes development
formal adjective
following accepted rules of style or behavior

Commonly confused: formative or formal?

formative vs formal

Formal means serious, official or following set rules; formative means shaping development.

Practice

Which phrase best completes: the ____ years of a child's life?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “formative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words