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
But the sea also surges through Tennyson’s poetry in a completely different way, although one equally constitutive of his genius.
—
Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Although 90 percent of our people were farmers at the time of our founding nearly 250 years ago, and now only about 1.2 percent are, the fact remains this small percentage is constitutive of all the rest.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
What the poem’s constitutive range of modal verbs exemplify is a mode of poetic questioning.
—Elaine L. Wang
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
There are the constitutive ingredients: her tightknit and loving parents — Marlean, an elementary school teacher, and Paul, a pastor— and their faith and the protective love of Wes.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 11 June 2025
Obviously, this dialectic has been constitutive of Gabriel Orozco’s work from the very beginning and determines it to this very day.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
The globalist gaze on the world identified both interconnectedness and diversity as the constitutive elements of the post-war era.
—Or Rosenboim, Foreign Affairs, 10 July 2017
Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Although 90 percent of our people were farmers at the time of our founding nearly 250 years ago, and now only about 1.2 percent are, the fact remains this small percentage is constitutive of all the rest.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
What the poem’s constitutive range of modal verbs exemplify is a mode of poetic questioning.
—Elaine L. Wang
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
There are the constitutive ingredients: her tightknit and loving parents — Marlean, an elementary school teacher, and Paul, a pastor— and their faith and the protective love of Wes.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 11 June 2025
Obviously, this dialectic has been constitutive of Gabriel Orozco’s work from the very beginning and determines it to this very day.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
The globalist gaze on the world identified both interconnectedness and diversity as the constitutive elements of the post-war era.
—Or Rosenboim, Foreign Affairs, 10 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constitutive
Adjective
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If humans have zero intrinsic value, and corporations derive value only from human spending, then the sum total of economic value is also zero.—
Andrew Behar,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
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Third, Cramer said investors need to consider whether there are intrinsic reasons for Nvidia’s performance.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Whether measured in testosterone levels, bone density, lung capacity, or muscle mass, biological males carry inherent physical advantages over women.—
Lisa Frizell,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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The physical dangers inherent in productions at this time were inseparable from the stories appearing onscreen, because simulation was more or less impossible; filmmaking was analog.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Lick, Kluender, Yager and Ninneman families have also been an integral part of the tradition, members of the Francis and Pietruszewski families said, as familiar faces from years gone by, old friends from the neighborhood, college or work all stop in.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
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His willingness to do the dirty work became an integral part of Cathedral’s state championship team during Davis’ junior season in 2021-22.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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City leaders, however, maintain that the changes threaten jobs and essential services in communities that have depended on card rooms for decades.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Resistance is likely to be strongest among European governments, still shocked by Beijing’s threats last year to cut off supplies of rare earths — essential for clean tech — and worried about further hollowing out their own green industries.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The office of the vice president was scrapped in 1972 following a constitutional referendum.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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In 2012, 73 percent of Coloradans approved Amendment 65, which instructs our legislature and congressional delegation to support a federal constitutional amendment allowing reasonable limits on campaign spending.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constitutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constitutive. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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