affective

adjective

af·​fec·​tive a-ˈfek-tiv 

1

: relating to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions : emotional

cognitive and affective symptoms

the novel's affective death scene

2

: expressing emotion

affective language

behaviors that elicit affective reactions

affectively adverb

affectivity

ˌa-ˌfek-ˈti-və-tē 

noun

Examples of affective in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All participants reported that affective contact with nonautistic people was particularly challenging because their emotional expressions tended to be misinterpreted by those who are neurotypical. —New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2024

Human beings are notoriously bad at what’s known as affective forecasting, or accurately predicting the intensity and duration of our emotional experiences in the future. —Jenny Taitz, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

The study’s aims were twofold: one, to explore how young autistic adults described their emotions, and two, to suggest ways of improving affective contact, the ability to form relations with others on an emotional level, between autistic people and their therapists. —New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2024

This is not to downplay the significance of Harriman’s affective labors. —Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English affectif, borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin affectīvus, from Latin affectus, past participle of afficere "to produce an effect on, exert an influence on" + -īvus -ive — more at affect entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing affective

• affective disorder
• schizo-affective
• seasonal affective disorder

Medical Definition

affective

adjective

af·​fec·​tive a-ˈfek-tiv 

: relating to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions : emotional

affective symptoms

affectively adverb

affectivity

ˌaf-ˌek-ˈtiv-ət-ē 

noun

plural affectivities