FORMATIVE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for FORMATIVE?

Need another word that means the same as “formative”? Find 14 synonyms and 30 related words for “formative” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Formative” are: plastic, shaping, developmental, developing, growing, malleable, impressionable, susceptible, determining, controlling, influential, guiding, decisive, determinative

Formative as an Adjective

Definitions of "Formative" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “formative” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning.
• Relating to a person's development.
• Capable of forming new cells and tissues.
• Serving to form something, especially having a profound influence on a person's development.
• Denoting or relating to any of the smallest meaningful units that are used to form words in a language, typically combining forms and inflections.

Synonyms of "Formative" as an adjective (14 Words)

controlling	Able to control or determine policy. A controlling interest in the firm.
decisive	Characterized by decision and firmness. She gave him a decisive answer.
determinative	Having the power or quality of deciding. The determinative or determinant battle.
determining	Causing something to occur or be done in a particular way; serving to decide something. Money may have been the determining factor in his decision.
developing	Relating to societies in which capital needed to industrialize is in short supply. This is a rapidly developing field.
developmental	Concerned with ontogenetic development, especially embryonic development in animals. Developmental problems.
growing	Becoming greater over a period of time; increasing. The growing concern over ozone levels.
guiding	Exerting control or influence. A guiding principle.
impressionable	Easily influenced. Children are highly impressionable and susceptible to advertising.
influential	Having great influence on someone or something. Her work is influential in feminist psychology.
malleable	Capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out. A malleable metal can be beaten into a sheet.
plastic	Made of plastic. The plastic arts.
shaping	Forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning.
susceptible	Likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing. Susceptible to colds.

Usage Examples of "Formative" as an adjective

• A formative assessment.
• A formative zone in developing bone.
• A formative influence.
• A formative experience.
• His formative years.

Associations of "Formative" (30 Words)

basal	Of or being the essential or basic part. Basal placentation.
basic	Pertaining to or constituting a base or basis. Teachers are going back to basics to encourage pupils to learn English.
central	Of the greatest importance; principal or essential. You re in workaholic central here.
concept	(of a car or other vehicle) produced as an experimental model to test the viability of innovative design features. The centre has kept firmly to its original concept.
constructive	Having or intended to have a useful or beneficial purpose. A constructive philosophy.
developmental	Concerned with the development of someone or something. Developmental problems.
essential	Absolutely necessary; extremely important. Fibre is an essential ingredient of our diet.
focal	Relating to the centre or most important part. Focal infection.
foremost	Prominently forward. The foremost figure among marine artists.
fundamental	A fundamental note tone or frequency. A fundamental incompatibility between them.
halfway	Midway between two points. I woke up halfway through the night.
heyday	The period of a person’s or thing’s greatest success, popularity, activity, or vigour. The paper has lost millions of readers since its heyday in 1964.
imaginative	Marked by independence and creativity in thought or action- Lewis Mumford. Making imaginative use of computer software.
important	Important in effect or meaning. Writers as important as Hopkins.
innovative	Being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before. Stylistically innovative works.
main	Capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence. The main problem is one of resources.
midway	At half the distance; at the middle. He sensationally led the tournament at the midway point.
original	An original creation i e an audio recording from which copies can be made. The original cast.
originally	With reference to the origin or beginning. The suggestions so originally and persuasively outlined.
primary	Of primary importance. His expert handling of the primary and secondary literature is clear on every page.
prime	Insert a primer into a gun mine or charge preparatory to detonation or firing. Our manhood s prime vigor.
principal	An actor who plays a principal role. The principal amount of your investment.
radical	Markedly new or introducing radical change. The assumption of radical differences between the mental attributes of literate and non literate peoples.
reformer	A disputant who advocates reform. A skilled reformer of government spending.
seminal	Relating to or derived from the seed of a plant. The spermatozoa are washed to separate them from the seminal plasma.
significantly	In a statistically significant way. Their situation is significantly different from ours.
stage	Perform a play especially on a stage. The Boreal stage.
staple	Secure or fasten with a staple or staples. Staple fibers vary widely in length.
superbly	Extremely well. A superbly gifted writer.
underlying	In the nature of something though not readily apparent. Underlying problems need to be addressed.