generative

adjective

gen·​er·​a·​tive ˈje-nə-rə-tiv 

ˈjen-rə-tiv,

ˈje-nə-ˌrā-tiv 

: having the power or function of generating, originating, producing, or reproducing

… Elizabeth Gilbert dives into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity.

—Camryn La Sala

… her gift is essentially organizational rather than generative.

—Martin Filler

: such as

a

biology : of or relating to the production of offspring

vegetative and generative plant growth

the generative organs of mammals

see also generative cell, generative nucleus

b

computing : using artificial intelligence algorithms to create complete units of content (such as text compositions, images, audio, or video) based on a broad corpus of material

Unlike the phone's predictive text feature, ChatGPT is said to be generative (the G in GPT).

—JoElla Carman and Jasmine Cui

see also generative AI

Examples of generative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since the rise of generative artificial intelligence in 2022, the technology has mostly been plugged into parts of the production pipeline as far as its deployment in Hollywood. —Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

Wall Street analysts believe the favorable antitrust ruling won by Alphabet could benefit Apple even more, by letting the iPhone maker license generative artificial intelligence products outside of the Google ecosystem. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025

Here, the behavioral cascade culminates in heuristics, simple, generative rules that guide interaction across multiple organizations. —Scott Hutcheson, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

By blending limited real data with generative video, ShengShu has created a smarter and faster way to train physical AI. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing generative

• generative AI
• generative artificial intelligence
• generative cell
• generative grammar
• generative nucleus
• generative semantics

Rhymes for generative

• degenerative
• regenerative
• neurodegenerative

Medical Definition

generative

adjective

gen·​er·​a·​tive ˈjen-(ə-)rət-iv  -ə-ˌrāt- 

: having the power or function of propagating or reproducing

generative organs