adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɜːɡətɪv/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:ûr'gətĭv
General-American:/ˈɝɡətɪv/
General-American:[-ɾɪv]
1
adj
Meaning 1
With the subject of a transitive construction having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of an intransitive construction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐργᾰ́της (ergắtēs, “labourer, worker”) + English -ive (suffix meaning ‘belong or relating to; of the nature of; serving to; tending to’ forming adjectives).
Across languages
Translations
30 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
ergatief
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Aragonese:
ergativo
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Asturian:
ergativu
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Basque:
ergatibo
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Catalan:
ergatiu
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Chinese Mandarin:
能格
(nénggé)
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Czech:
ergativ
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Danish:
ergativ
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Dutch:
ergatief
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Esperanto:
ergativo
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Extremaduran:
ergativu
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
French:
ergatif
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Galician:
ergativo
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
German:
ergativ
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
German:
ergativisch
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Indonesian:
ergativus
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Italian:
ergativo
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Japanese:
能格
(nōkaku)
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Polish:
ergatywny
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Portuguese:
ergativo
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Spanish:
ergativo
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Zazaki:
ergativ
— with the subjects of transitive constructions having grammatical cases or thematic relations different from those of from intransitive constructions
Chinese Mandarin:
能格
(nénggé)
— ergative verb or other expression
Dutch:
ergatief
— ergative verb or other expression
French:
ergatif
— ergative verb or other expression
Italian:
ergativo
— ergative verb or other expression
Japanese:
能格
(nōkaku)
— ergative verb or other expression
Korean:
능격
(neunggyeok)
— ergative verb or other expression
Polish:
ergatyw
— ergative verb or other expression
Polish:
ergativus
— ergative verb or other expression
