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formative

[fawr-muh-tiv] / ˈfɔr mə tɪv /
ADJECTIVE
influential, impressionable
Synonyms
Antonyms
WEAK
destructive noninfluential


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

However, his formative years were spent far from Benin.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Aged 11, he impressed in a trial with Real Madrid, but returned home anyway, a decision he calls one of the most formative of his life.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

A formative introduction to the internet’s tenuous rules for engagement happened when I was 13.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

So much of what we experience today is an echo of our formative years.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Reluctant as Japanese and Koreans are to admit it, they are like twin brothers who shared their formative years.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond




Vocabulary lists containing formative