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GRE vocabulary

normative

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore N words

relating to a standard or norm, especially one regarded as correct or authoritative

Word origin: From Latin norma, a carpenter's square or rule.

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In a sentence

Normative in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing normative in a sentence.

The committee debated whether the guidelines were normative rules or merely suggestions.

The paper distinguishes normative claims about how institutions should behave from descriptive accounts of how they actually do.

Synonyms
prescriptivestandardregulatory
Antonyms
descriptiveexceptionaldeviant

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Verbal · Text Completion

The novelist's late style is admired precisely for its blank: every superfluous phrase has been pared away, leaving prose of startling economy.

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Usage & nuance

Using “normative” well

Normative relates to a standard or norm regarded as correct, prescribing how things ought to be. It is regularly opposed to descriptive, which simply reports what is, without judgment.

Common questions

Questions about “normative”

Normative (adjective) means relating to a standard or norm, especially one regarded as correct or authoritative
Here is normative used in an example sentence: "The committee debated whether the guidelines were normative rules or merely suggestions." Another example: "The paper distinguishes normative claims about how institutions should behave from descriptive accounts of how they actually do."
Common synonyms for normative include prescriptive, standard, regulatory.
Antonyms of normative include descriptive, exceptional, deviant.
Normative clusters with prescriptive, standard, and regulatory. Its antonyms descriptive, exceptional, and deviant mark the contrast, with descriptive the key pairing in academic prose.
Yes. Normative is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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