Meanings
- not comparableActing as a cause.
Causative in nature of a number of effects.
1605, Francis Bacon, “(please specify |book=1 or 2)”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for Henrie Tomes, […], →OCLCSynonyms: occasional
- not comparableInvolving, or affected by, causality.
Such statistical analysis can establish correlation but cannot tell us whether the correlation is proximally causative, distally causative, or noncausative.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveActing as a cause.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveproducing an effect
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincausātīvus“causative, pertaining to a lawsuit, accusative”
- Frenchcausatif
- Englishcausative
From French causatif, from Latin causātīvus (“causative, pertaining to a lawsuit, accusative”), from causa (“cause”); see cause (verb) and -ive.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan causatiu, causatiu
- causatiuacting as a cause
- causatiulinguistics: expressing cause or causation
Chinese Mandarin 使動 /使动, 使役
- 使動 /使动 (shǐdòng)linguistics: expressing cause or causation
- 使役 (shǐyì)linguistics
Finnish aiheuttava, kausatiivinen
- aiheuttavaacting as a cause
- kausatiivinenlinguistics: expressing cause or causation
- kausatiivilinguistics
French causatif, causatif
- causatiflinguistics: expressing cause or causation
- causatiflinguistics
- factitiflinguistics
German Kausativ
- Kausativlinguistics
Greek αίτιος
- αίτιος (aítios)linguistics
Hungarian okozó, előidéző
- okozóacting as a cause
- előidézőacting as a cause
- eredményezőacting as a cause
- okot képezőacting as a cause
- műveltetőlinguistics: expressing cause or causation
- műveltetéslinguistics
Icelandic orsakasögn
- orsakasögnlinguistics
Japanese 使役, 使役
- 使役 (shieki)linguistics: expressing cause or causation
- 使役 (shieki)linguistics
Korean 원인이 되는, 사역
- 원인이 되는 (wonini doeneun)acting as a cause
- 사역 (sayeok)linguistics: expressing cause or causation
- 사동 (sadong)linguistics
Polish przyczynowy, kauzatywny
- przyczynowyacting as a cause
- kauzatywnylinguistics: expressing cause or causation
- causativumlinguistics
Russian побуди́тельный зало́г, понуди́тельный зало́г
- побуди́тельный зало́г (pobudítelʹnyj zalóg)linguistics
- понуди́тельный зало́г (ponudítelʹnyj zalóg)linguistics
- каузати́вный зало́г (kauzatívnyj zalóg)linguistics
- каузати́в (kauzatív)linguistics
Spanish causativo
- causativoacting as a cause
Swedish kausativ
- kausativlinguistics
Tamil பிறவினை, பிறவினை
- பிறவினை (piṟaviṉai)linguistics: expressing cause or causation
- பிறவினை (piṟaviṉai)linguistics
Turkish faktitif
- faktitiflinguistics
Welsh achosol, achosair
- achosollinguistics: expressing cause or causation
- achosairlinguistics
Cite this entry
causative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/causative
“causative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/causative. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “causative,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/causative.
Source: causative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.