Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of constitutive Art critic Eva Diaz, writing for ArtReview, says that Of the ‘creative’ pursuits, architecture is among the most dependent on big piles of capital in order to get its work off the ground: patronage is a constitutive yoke of the profession. Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 Homoeroticism is of course constitutive of a great deal of classical statuary. Richard Meyer, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025 After his beginnings at Modern Collections, Philbrick delved into corrupt financial machinations, enabled and empowered by the secrecy and instability that are constitutive features of the contemporary-art market. Rosa Lyster, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2024 That could require a new constitutive assembly, with a mission, charter, and political program that speaks to all Palestinians and eschews the stale language of the old PLO, a discourse imbued with the spirit of the mid-twentieth century but with no currency in the twenty-first. Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021 Serge’s simultaneous ambivalence about the status of the individual and sympathetic investment in individuals (and his keen eye for particulars) provides the constitutive tension of his best fiction. Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 29 Dec. 2022 Neoliberals’ constitutive disenfranchisement of voters and all those without a foothold in the asset economy is very much still with us. Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 31 Oct. 2022 But in Meacham’s treatment, such personal details function as supporting pieces in a story designed around high-stakes campaign speeches, the constitutive ritual of inaugurations and grave moments of statesmanship. John Fabian Witt, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022 And both suggest that the impulse to cheat, cut corners and get over on chumps, if not inflict harm upon them outright, is far from some aberrant pathology in the American identity but rather a constitutive force. New York Times, 9 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constitutive
Adjective
  • Unlike gem-setting, where there is intrinsic value to the precious stones and metal, enamel’s base material is inexpensive glass.
    Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
  • But even without an antibody treatment, our group has found that opening the blood-brain barrier with focused ultrasound alone induces an intrinsic immune response in the brain that reduces beta amyloid and tau.
    Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Pounding the pavement to rummage for vintage treasure is inherent to unearthing the rare and one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrity stylists, editors, and fashion-loving brides-to-be seek her out for.
    Talia Abbas, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2025
  • For as bleak as things can feel for Chicago’s South Side ballclub, there is still an inherent optimism when everyone’s record is 0-0.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The score is not only fantastic, but such an integral part of a narrative about the cultural and magical impact of music.
    Pat Saperstein, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
  • So when his dad died in November 2024, his audience also became an integral part of his grieving and healing process.
    Athena Sobhan, People.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Since 2014, the ACL Hall of Fame has honored artists who have played an essential role in the series’ half-century as a premier supporter of top-shelf music.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The Trump administration’s decision to cut USAID funding has deprived the country of essential funding and created more uncertainty for the CHW program and other initiatives.
    The Dial, The Dial, 10 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Constitutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constitutive. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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