formative

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.

But the whole time I wanted to go, “Get out of here! Go, go! This is formative years.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

For many young Lebanese caught in the crossfire, their formative years have been jeopardised by repeated conflicts and crises.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Mojtaba Khamenei spent his formative years like many young Iranian men, fighting in the 1980-1988 war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

It meant a generation of youngsters in the area missed out on the chance to use the indoor facility like Carrick did in his formative years.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Natural objects have, for an Aristotelian, their own internal formative principles, while artificial objects are made according to a design imposed from outside.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton