What does correlative mean?
Correlative functions both as a noun and as an adjective, and in either form it concerns things that exist in a mutual, complementary relationship. As a noun, a correlative is something that corresponds to or depends upon another thing, with each implying the other — philosophers, for instance, describe rights and duties, or cause and effect, as correlatives because neither can be fully understood alone. As an adjective, correlative describes this reciprocal relationship, and it also has a specific technical use in grammar, where correlative conjunctions are paired connectors such as 'either...or', 'both...and', and 'not only...but also' that work together to link parallel parts of a sentence. The word derives from Latin roots meaning 'to relate', entered English in the early modern period through scholarly writing, and remains largely formal today. It appears chiefly in philosophy, logic, linguistics, and academic prose rather than everyday conversation.
Something that has a reciprocal or complementary relationship with another thing, such that each implies, corresponds to, or depends on the other.
"In his ethics lectures, he treated duty as the correlative of right."
Most common in philosophy, logic, and legal or academic discussion of paired concepts.
Relating to or involving things that correspond to or mutually depend on each other; in grammar, describing paired connectives such as 'either...or' that function jointly.
"'Not only... but also' is one of the most frequently used correlative conjunctions in English."
The grammatical sense is the most familiar to general readers, especially students learning sentence structure.
Used when referring to multiple items standing in such relationships, often in philosophical or grammatical contexts.
"The essay examined the correlatives of liberty across different political traditions."
In logic and grammar alike, some things only make sense in pairs — and 'correlative' is the word we use to name that partnership.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of correlative
Correlative comes from the Medieval Latin 'correlativus', built on the prefix 'co-' (together) plus 'relativus' (referring back), which itself stems from the Latin verb 'referre' or its related forms meaning to bring back or relate. The underlying Latin root 'ferre'/'relatio' gives English a whole family of related terms including 'relate', 'relation', and 'relative'. The word entered English in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, primarily in scholarly and logical writing describing things that imply one another.
Related word forms
How correlative is actually used
Both noun and adjective uses appear mainly in formal, academic, or philosophical writing. In logic and philosophy it typically denotes concepts that presuppose one another (such as cause and effect); in linguistics it most often appears in the phrase 'correlative conjunctions'. It is rarely used casually.
Easily confused with correlative
A corollary is a proposition that follows directly from an already proven statement (or a natural consequence of something), whereas a correlative is something that mutually and reciprocally corresponds to something else.