Meanings
adjectivedative (not comparable)
- not comparablegrammarDenoting the case of a noun which expresses the remoter or indirect object, generally indicated in English by to or for with the objective.
- not comparableobsoletelawIn one’s gift; capable of being disposed of at will and pleasure, as an office or other privilege.
- not comparableobsoletelawRemovable, as distinguished from perpetual; — said of an officer.
- not comparableobsoletelawGiven by a judge, as distinguished from being cast upon a party by the law itself.
- not comparablesciencesFormed by two electrons contributed by one atom; see dative bond.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveGiven in advance; not needed to be calculated.
Opposite
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe category of nouns serving as the indirect object of a verb
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek δοτική
- δοτική (dotikḗ)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Arabic مفعول لأجله
- مفعول لأجلهgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Basque datibo
- datibogrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Bulgarian да́телен
- да́телен (dátelen)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Catalan datiu, datiu
- datiugrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- datiugiven by a judge
Chinese Mandarin 第三格, 與格 /与格
- 第三格 (dìsāngé)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- 與格 /与格 (yǔgé)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Czech dativní
- dativnígrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Danish dativ
- dativgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Dutch in de datief, begeven
- in de datiefgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- begevencapable of being disposed of at will
- afzetbaarremovable
- datiefgiven by a judge
Esperanto dativa
- dativagrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Finnish datiivinen, datiivi-
- datiivinengrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- datiivi-grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- datiivissa oleva sanaword in the dative
French datif
- datifgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
German Dativ-, dativisch
- Dativ-grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- dativischgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- Dativword in the dative
Greek δοτική
- δοτική (dotikí)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Hungarian részeshatározó, részeshatározós
- részeshatározógrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- részeshatározósgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- részeshatározóigrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Icelandic þágufalls-
- þágufalls-grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Indonesian datif
- datifgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Irish tabharthach
- tabharthachgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Italian dativo
- dativogrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Japanese 与格
- 与格 (yokaku)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Latin datīvus
- datīvusgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Norwegian dativ
- dativgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Polish celownikowy
- celownikowygrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Portuguese dativo, dativo
- dativogrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- dativogiven by a judge
Russian да́тельный
- да́тельный (dátelʹnyj)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Scottish Gaelic tabhartach
- tabhartachgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Spanish dativo
- dativogrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Swedish dativ
- dativgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Turkish -e hâli, datif
- -e hâligrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- datifgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Ukrainian дава́льний
- дава́льний (daválʹnyj)grammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Vietnamese dữ cách, tặng cách
- dữ cáchgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- tặng cáchgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Welsh dadiol, derbyniol
- dadiolgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
- derbyniolgrammar: noting the case of noun which expresses indirect object
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dative
creativestativelativeuncreativeanticreativecastrativecollativeconstativedictativedilativeelativeequativeflativeillativeinduplicativeinflativeinnativemiscreativemutativenear-nativenon-nativeoptativeplacativeprecreative
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
dative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dative
MLA
“dative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dative. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dative,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dative.
Source: dative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.