Meaning & use
originative
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableformal
Having the ability to produce new ideas, methods, or things; creative and inventive.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'an originative mind', or after a linking verb, as in 'The approach is originative'.
Patterns
- originative mind
- originative thinking
- originative process
Her originative approach to teaching made the class exciting.
The company values originative employees who can solve problems in new ways.
His originative thinking led to a groundbreaking discovery.
adjectivenot comparableformaltechnical
Relating to or serving as an origin; originating.
Grammar: Used before a noun, often in technical or philosophical contexts, as in 'the originative cause'.
Patterns
- originative cause
- originative principle
- originative event
Philosophers debated the originative principle behind all existence.
The originative event of the universe remains a mystery.
In biology, the originative cell divides to form new tissues.
Word forms
| comparative | more originative |
|---|---|
| superlative | most originative |
Common combinations
- originative mind
- An originative mind can see connections others miss.
- originative thinking
- The workshop encouraged originative thinking among the staff.
- originative process
- The originative process of the project took several months.
- originative power
- The artist's originative power was evident in every piece.
Synonyms and how they differ
- creative
- Creative is the everyday word and is much more common; originative is formal and often suggests the very start of something.
- inventive
- Inventive stresses making new things or devices, while originative stresses producing original ideas or being the source.
- innovative
- Innovative often refers to new methods or products that improve on existing ones, whereas originative can mean bringing something entirely new into being.
Opposites
Word family
- origin noun
- The point or source from which something begins.
- originate verb
- To begin or create something.
- original adjective
- First or earliest; not a copy.
- originally adverb
- At first; in the beginning.
- originator noun
- A person who creates or starts something.
Commonly confused: originative or original? originative or originatory?
originative vs original
Original means first or not copied, while originative means having the power to create new things. An original painting is the first one; an originative painter creates new styles.
originative vs originatory
Originatory is an even rarer word meaning relating to an origin; it is not a common synonym. Stick to originative for the sense of creative.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'originative' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 is correct because 'originative' is an adjective describing a person who produces new ideas. Option 0 is wrong because a copy is not originative; option 2 uses 'originative' as a noun, which is incorrect; option 3 uses it as a verb, which is also wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “originative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.