associative

[ uh-soh-shee-ey-tiv, -see-, -shuh-tiv ]
/ əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪ tɪv, -si-, -ʃə tɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR associative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to or resulting from association.
tending to associate or unite.
Mathematics, Logic.
  1. (of an operation on a set of elements) giving an equivalent expression when elements are grouped without change of order, as (a + b) + c = a + (b + c).
  2. having reference to this property: associative law of multiplication.

Origin of associative

First recorded in 1805–15; associate + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM associative

Words nearby associative

association fiber, association football, association law, association test, associationism, associative, associative aphasia, associative cortex, associative learning, associative neuron, associative storage

Words related to associative

collateral, coeval, belonging, joint, fellow, complementary, incident, contemporary, satellite, attending, corollary, coordinate, attendant, accessory, coefficient, adjuvant, akin, alike, close, insular

Example sentences from the Web for associative

British Dictionary definitions for associative

associative
/ (əˈsəʊʃɪətɪv) /

adjective

of, relating to, or causing association or union
maths logic
  1. being independent of the grouping of numbers, symbols, or terms within a given set, as in conjunction or in an expression such as (2 × 3) × 4 = 2 × (3 × 4)
  2. referring to this propertythe associative laws of arithmetic

Scientific definitions for associative

associative
[ ə-sō′shə-tĭv ]

Of or relating to the property of an operation, such as addition or multiplication, which states that the grouping of numbers undergoing the operation does not change the result. For example, 3 + (4 + 5) is equal to (3 + 4) + 5. See also commutative distributive.