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Whatever gives shape to something else may be called formative: for example, the Grand Canyon is a product of the formative power of water, and the automobile was a huge formative influence on the design of America's cities. But it usually applies to some kind of shaping that isn't physical. An ambitious plan, for example, goes through a formative stage of development. The formative years of the U.S. included experimentation with various forms of government. And the most important formative experiences in our own lives tend to take place in the first 20 years or so.
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Examples of formative in a Sentence
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
My formative years were defined by consequence-free lies about weapons of mass destruction and collateralized debt obligations—the victims losing everything while the perpetrators and their enablers were re-elected or moved seamlessly on to lucrative speaking engagements and advisory boards.
—Keenan Robbins, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Andrea Towers, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2022
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“Formative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formative. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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formative
adjective
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