constructive

Language: en

🇬🇧 /kəˈnstrʌktɪv/ 🇺🇸 /kəˈnstrʌktɪv/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Serving a useful purpose; tending to build up or improve something rather than tear it down.; Relating to or causing construction; building or forming something.; Inferred or implied by law rather than explicitly stated; deemed to exist by legal fiction.; In mathematics, relating to a proof or method that explicitly demonstrates the existence of an object by providing a means to construct it, as opposed to a non-constructive proof.; In philosophy, relating to constructivism, the view that knowledge is actively built by the learner rather than passively received.; In logic, relating to constructive logic or intuitionistic logic, which rejects the law of excluded middle and requires explicit construction for existential claims.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more constructive Superlative: most constructive

Collocations

constructive criticismconstructive feedbackconstructive dialogueconstructive engagementconstructive conversationconstructive approachconstructive role

Derivatives

constructivelyconstructivenessconstructconstructionconstructordestructivereconstructreconstructionconstructivism

Synonyms

productivepositivehelpfulbeneficialfruitfuluseful

Antonyms

destructivenegativeunhelpfulcounterproductive

Commonly confused

destructive
EN: 'Destructive' means causing harm or damage, the direct opposite of 'constructive' which means building up or contributing positively.
structural
EN: 'Structural' relates to the physical or organizational framework of something, while 'constructive' describes something that is helpful and contributes positively.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the double 'c' in 'con-struct-ive' and that it ends in '-ive', not '-if' or '-iff'.

💬 Examples

  1. The manager offered constructive feedback that helped the team improve their performance.

  2. The engineer focused on the constructive elements of the bridge design.

  3. The court found him guilty of constructive fraud because he benefited from the misleading omission.

  4. The mathematician preferred a constructive proof that actually exhibited the solution rather than merely showing it must exist.

  5. The teacher adopted a constructive approach, encouraging students to build understanding through hands-on exploration.

  6. Constructive logic does not accept that every proposition is either true or false without a proof of one or the other.