appointive

adjective

ap·​point·​ive ə-ˈpȯin-tiv How to pronounce appointive (audio)
: of, relating to, or filled by appointment
an appointive office

Examples of appointive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jackson fancies himself an American Sadat, performing the most sensitive, high-profile diplomatic missions for the president but without the accountability of appointive office. Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026 Currently, the charter does not authorize the mayor to make interim appointments of appointive and administrative officers to vacant positions. Christina Hall, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025 After grassroots reforms in the early 1990s failed, the Illinois legislature transferred appointive power for school governance to Chicago’s mayor in 1995. Chicago Tribune, 27 Dec. 2024 An ordinance was voted on, 3-2, to change the appointive power from the mayor to a majority of the City Council. Laura Groch jan. 29, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2023 These Black women paved the way for others who would, in the decades that followed, gain political power through elective and appointive offices. Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of appointive was in 1845

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Cite this Entry

“Appointive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appointive. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

appointive

adjective
ap·​point·​ive ə-ˈpȯint-iv How to pronounce appointive (audio)
: of, relating to, or filled by appointment
an appointive office
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