Formative

How to spell formative

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce formative

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does formative mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a strong and lasting influence on how something or someone develops.

Formative in a sentence

• Those early jobs were a formative part of her career.

• The teacher gave formative feedback throughout the term rather than a single final grade.

Where does formative come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin noun forma, which meant a shape, mould, or outward appearance, and to its verb formare, meaning to shape or to fashion something. Medieval Latin built the adjective formativus to describe anything that gives form or brings something into being. English picked it up in the late 1400s, partly through Old French, originally in grammatical and medical writing about parts that shape or generate. Over time the everyday meaning settled on the years, experiences, and influences that shape a person's character or development. The same forma root sits inside familiar relatives such as form, format, reform, and information, which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the plain stem form before the regular -ative ending.

How the word is built

• form (from Latin forma: shape, form)
• -ative (adjective suffix meaning tending to shape or develop)