collaborative: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Formal/Neutral. Common in professional, academic, and corporate contexts.
Quick answer
What does “collaborative” mean?
Done or achieved by working together with others.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Done or achieved by working together with others; involving cooperation between people or groups.
Relating to or characterized by collaboration; designed to facilitate or promote joint effort. Can describe a style, process, tool, environment, or person's attitude.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling is identical. Usage and frequency are very similar, with no significant divergence.
Connotations
Identical positive connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in American business/tech jargon, but widely used in both.
Grammar
How to Use “collaborative” in a Sentence
collaborative + noun (e.g., collaborative project)be + collaborative (e.g., The team was very collaborative.)collaborative in + -ing form (e.g., She is collaborative in solving problems.)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “collaborative” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The two departments will need to collaborate closely on the new initiative.
- They collaborated to produce the report.
American English
- The teams need to collaborate more effectively to meet the deadline.
- She collaborated with an artist on the design.
adverb
British English
- The group worked collaboratively to solve the issue.
- They decided to approach the task collaboratively.
American English
- The team members interact collaboratively on the shared platform.
- We need to think more collaboratively about this.
adjective
British English
- The project requires a highly collaborative mindset.
- They use a collaborative online document for planning.
American English
- We're looking for a collaborative work environment.
- The app has great collaborative features.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Describes a preferred working style, e.g., 'We seek a collaborative leader for this role.'
Academic
Describes research or learning methods, e.g., 'The paper is the result of a collaborative study across three universities.'
Everyday
Describes group activities, e.g., 'We made a collaborative playlist for the road trip.'
Technical
Describes systems or tools, e.g., 'The software features collaborative editing in real time.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “collaborative”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “collaborative”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “collaborative”
- Incorrect spelling: 'colaborative' (missing an 'l').
- Incorrect pronunciation: stressing the first syllable (/ˈkɒləbərətɪv/).
- Using it to describe mere 'helpful' behavior without the element of shared creation.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, almost always. It describes a desirable way of working that involves teamwork, sharing, and mutual respect to achieve a common goal.
They are very close synonyms. 'Collaborative' often implies a deeper level of partnership and active creation together on a single outcome. 'Cooperative' can sometimes imply simply being helpful or not causing problems while working alongside others.
Yes. A 'collaborative tool' (like shared documents or project software) is designed to enable or facilitate people working together simultaneously or asynchronously.
The primary noun is 'collaboration'. 'Collaborativeness' is grammatically possible but rare and awkward; 'collaborative spirit/approach/culture' is more natural.
Done or achieved by working together with others.
Collaborative is usually formal/neutral. common in professional, academic, and corporate contexts. in register.
Collaborative: in British English it is pronounced /kəˈlæbərətɪv/, and in American English it is pronounced /kəˈlæbəˌreɪtɪv/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A collaborative spirit”
- “To be in a collaborative frame of mind”
- “Foster a collaborative culture”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of COLLABORATIVE as 'CO-LLABOR-ATIVE' – doing creative LABOR (work) TOGETHER (CO-) in an ACTIVE way.
Conceptual Metaphor
TEAMWORK IS A JOINT STRUCTURE / BUILDING TOGETHER (e.g., 'building a collaborative framework').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is NOT typically associated with a 'collaborative' environment?