Standard Lemma guide

normative

adj · noun · 6 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: /ˈnɔːmətɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈnoɹmətɪv/
  • Canada, General-American: [-ɾɪv]
  • Colorado Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˈnoːmətɪv/
  • Australian: [-ɾɪv]
  • New-Zealand: /ˈnoːmətəv/
  • New-Zealand: [-ɾəv]
  • rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)mətɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: N AO1 R M AH0 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or pertaining to a norm or standard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Conforming to a norm or norms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • normative behaviour

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Attempting to establish or prescribe a norm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • normative grammar

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A regulation imposed to preserve a norm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

pertaining to giving directives or rules

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • prescriptive grammar is concerned with norms of or rules for correct usage

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prescriptive

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

relating to or dealing with norms

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • normative discipline
  • normative samples

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh3- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h3sḱétider. Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō Ancient Greek γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō) Proto-Indo-European *-mṓ Ancient Greek -μων (-mōn) Ancient Greek γνώμων (gnṓmōn)bor. Etruscanbor.? Latin norma Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. English -ate Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Old French -ifbor. Middle English -yf English -ive English -ative English normative From Latin norma + -ative. Compare French normatif.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: нормативен (normativen) — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Catalan: normatiu — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Chinese Mandarin: 规范的 (guīfànde) — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Czech: normativní — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Finnish: normatiivinen — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • French: normatif — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Galician: normativo — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • German: normativ — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Hungarian: normatív — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Irish: normatach — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Italian: normativo — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Kazakh: нормативті (normativtı) — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Kazakh: нормативтік (normativtık) — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Polish: normatywny — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Portuguese: normativo — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Romanian: normativ — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Russian: нормати́вный (normatívnyj) — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Spanish: normativo — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Ukrainian: нормати́вний (normatývnyj) — of, pertaining to, or using a norm or standard
  • Czech: normativní — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm
  • Czech: normotvorný — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm
  • Dutch: normatief — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm
  • Polish: normatywny — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm
  • Polish: normotwórczy — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm
  • Polish: dyrektywalny — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm
  • Russian: нормативный (normativnyj) — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm
  • Ukrainian: нормати́вний (normatývnyj) — attempting to establish or prescribe a norm