Word
formative
Meanings
Having a strong influence on how someone’s character, beliefs, or abilities develop, especially early on.
Helping something develop into a particular form or state; shaping the development of a process or system.
Used to describe assessment and feedback that happen during learning to improve performance before the final evaluation.
Definition
Formative describes something that strongly influences how someone or something develops.
Formative refers to experiences, periods, or influences that shape a person’s character, ideas, or abilities. It is often used for early stages of life, education, or a process when important development happens. It can also describe assessment or feedback used to improve learning while it is still in progress.
Examples
- Her formative years were spent in a small coastal town.
- Reading those novels was a formative experience for him.
- The coach played a formative role in her career.
- We use formative assessment to adjust teaching during the course.
- The early design meetings were formative for the final product.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes use formative to mean 'informative' (giving information), but formative means 'shaping development.'
More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.