# associative

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əˈsoʊ.ʃi.ə.tɪv/ · frequency rank #37,804

## Definitions
1. Pertaining to, resulting from, or characterised by association; capable of associating; tending to associate or unite.
2. Such that, for any operands a,b and c, (a*b)*c=a*(b*c); (of a ring, etc.) whose multiplication operation is associative.
3. Addressable by a key more complex than an integer index.

## Etymology
From associate + -ive.

## Easily confused with
- **associate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/associate-vs-associative)
- **association** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/association-vs-associative)

## Common misspellings (13)
`asociative`, `asosciative`, `asscoiative`, `assocaitive`, `assocciative`, `associaitve`, `associatiev`, `associativve`, `associattive`, `associatvie`, `associtaive`, `assoicative`, `sasociative`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/associative