determinative Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun one of a limited class of noun modifiers that determine the referents of noun phrases
    determiner.
  2. noun a determining or causal element or factor
    causal factor; determinant; determiner; determining factor.
    • education is an important determinant of one's outlook on life
  3. adjective satellite having the power or quality of deciding
    deciding; determinant; determining.
    • the crucial experiment
    • cast the deciding vote
    • the determinative (or determinant) battle

WordNet

De*ter"mi*na*tive adjective
Etymology
Cf. F. déterminatif.
Definitions
  1. Having power to determine; limiting; shaping; directing; conclusive.
    Incidents . . . determinative of their course. I. Taylor.
De*ter"mi*na*tive noun
Definitions
  1. That which serves to determine.
    Explanatory determinatives . . . were placed after words phonetically expressed, in order to serve as an aid to the reader in determining the meaning. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

Webster 1913