relating to a form or class of verbs, such as persuade, that express causation - (often postpositive) and followed by of:
producing an effect
the causative form or class of verbs
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
caus•a•tive
(kô′zə tiv),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
caus′a•tive•ly, adv.
caus′a•tive•ness, caus′a•tiv′i•ty, n.
- acting as a cause;
producing (often fol. by of ):a causative agency; an event causative of war. - Grammarnoting causation. The causative form of to fall is to fell. Gothic -jan is a causative suffix in fulljan "to cause to be full;
to fill.''
n.
- Grammara word, esp. a verb, noting causation, as made in He made me eat the apple.
- Latin causātīvus, equivalent. to causāt(us) caused (see causation) + -īvus -ive
- late Middle English 1375–1425
caus′a•tive•ness, caus′a•tiv′i•ty, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'causative' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
accusative
- aghast
- bait
- bringdown
- caus.
- communicable
- contact
- contagious
- contagium
- cringe
- cryptococcus
- culture factor
- dive
- drench
- efficient
- embargo
- endotoxin
- fell
- hinder
- homeotherapy
- ikebana
- in-
- inoculate
- lay
- leach
- lead
- leave
- military science
- moniliasis
- oncogene
- pastrami
- prophylaxis
- raise
- sauté
- saxitoxin
- schizophrenogenic
- send
- set
- slake
- spirochaete
- springe
- sprinkle
- stanch
- swinge
- toxin
- toxoplasma
- vital force
- wend
- éclat