as in intrinsic
being a part of the innermost nature of a person or thing
the proposition that liberty and justice are constitutive elements of an enlightened society
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Recent Examples of constitutive
Art critic Eva Diaz, writing for ArtReview, says that
Of the ‘creative’ pursuits, architecture is among the most dependent on big piles of capital in order to get its work off the ground: patronage is a constitutive yoke of the profession.
—
Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Homoeroticism is of course constitutive of a great deal of classical statuary.
—Richard Meyer, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
After his beginnings at Modern Collections, Philbrick delved into corrupt financial machinations, enabled and empowered by the secrecy and instability that are constitutive features of the contemporary-art market.
—Rosa Lyster, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2024
That could require a new constitutive assembly, with a mission, charter, and political program that speaks to all Palestinians and eschews the stale language of the old PLO, a discourse imbued with the spirit of the mid-twentieth century but with no currency in the twenty-first.
—Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
Serge’s simultaneous ambivalence about the status of the individual and sympathetic investment in individuals (and his keen eye for particulars) provides the constitutive tension of his best fiction.
—Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 29 Dec. 2022
Neoliberals’ constitutive disenfranchisement of voters and all those without a foothold in the asset economy is very much still with us.
—Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 31 Oct. 2022
But in Meacham’s treatment, such personal details function as supporting pieces in a story designed around high-stakes campaign speeches, the constitutive ritual of inaugurations and grave moments of statesmanship.
—John Fabian Witt, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
And both suggest that the impulse to cheat, cut corners and get over on chumps, if not inflict harm upon them outright, is far from some aberrant pathology in the American identity but rather a constitutive force.
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2022
Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Homoeroticism is of course constitutive of a great deal of classical statuary.
—Richard Meyer, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
After his beginnings at Modern Collections, Philbrick delved into corrupt financial machinations, enabled and empowered by the secrecy and instability that are constitutive features of the contemporary-art market.
—Rosa Lyster, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2024
That could require a new constitutive assembly, with a mission, charter, and political program that speaks to all Palestinians and eschews the stale language of the old PLO, a discourse imbued with the spirit of the mid-twentieth century but with no currency in the twenty-first.
—Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
Serge’s simultaneous ambivalence about the status of the individual and sympathetic investment in individuals (and his keen eye for particulars) provides the constitutive tension of his best fiction.
—Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 29 Dec. 2022
Neoliberals’ constitutive disenfranchisement of voters and all those without a foothold in the asset economy is very much still with us.
—Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 31 Oct. 2022
But in Meacham’s treatment, such personal details function as supporting pieces in a story designed around high-stakes campaign speeches, the constitutive ritual of inaugurations and grave moments of statesmanship.
—John Fabian Witt, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
And both suggest that the impulse to cheat, cut corners and get over on chumps, if not inflict harm upon them outright, is far from some aberrant pathology in the American identity but rather a constitutive force.
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constitutive
Adjective
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The spectacular scenery has become an intrinsic part of its charm; in fact, 2017 green jacket winner Sergio Garcia even named his daughter Azalea.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
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The use of this unusual material does not seem to be related to the content or intrinsic value of the books, as the authors write in the study.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There is a collage aesthetic to the film, because that’s just inherent to my experience growing up, getting so much information in so many different forms of media shot into my eyes.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
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Saw no inherent contradiction between beauty and use.—
Jackson Arn,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The England international played an integral role in ending Liverpool’s wait for a first Premier League title in 2019-20 and won the PFA young player of the year award for his performances that season.—
David Ornstein,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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Which Premier League club has relied most heavily this season on their leading goalscorer, or perhaps a solid centre-back, or maybe a full-back who is integral to the manager’s system?—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Since 2014, the ACL Hall of Fame has honored artists who have played an essential role in the series’ half-century as a premier supporter of top-shelf music.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
10 Apr. 2025
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The Trump administration’s decision to cut USAID funding has deprived the country of essential funding and created more uncertainty for the CHW program and other initiatives.—
The Dial,
The Dial,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Constitutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constitutive. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
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