1. relating to or involving association or the forming of connections between ideas, memories, or experiences
2. in mathematics, describing an operation where the grouping of elements does not affect the result
Usage: mathematics

Examples

• The therapist used associative techniques to help the patient recall forgotten memories.
• Children develop associative learning skills through repeated exposure to patterns.
• Addition is an associative operation because (2 + 3) + 4 equals 2 + (3 + 4).
• The artist’s work showed strong associative connections between color and emotion.
• Associative memory allows us to link new information with existing knowledge.
• In algebra, multiplication is both commutative and associative.
• The study examined associative processes in language acquisition.