constitutive
/kənˈstɪt͡ʃuˌtɪv/adjective
constitutive is spelled C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-V-E: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, constitutive means “Having the power or authority to constitute, establish or enact something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in constitutive?
| Letters | 12: C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,663rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is constitutive?
Constitutive appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce constitutive?
- US /kənˈstɪt͡ʃuˌtɪv/
Constitutive has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-constitutive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of constitutive
- more constitutive comparative
- most constitutive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does constitutive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having the power or authority to constitute, establish or enact something.
- 2
Having the power or authority to appoint someone to office.
- 3
Extremely important; essential.
- 4
Forming a constituent part of something else.
- 5
Of an enzyme: continuously produced at a constant rate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Constitutive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense very important ; essential:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | constitutif |
| Portuguese | constitutivo |
| Spanish | constitutivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does constitutive come from?
From constitute + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).