formative
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of FORMATIVE
[more formative; most formative]
1
— used to describe the time when someone or something is growing or being formed
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The movement was then still in its formative stages.
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His family traveled widely during his formative years. [=when he was young]
2
:
helping to develop something
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This experience had a formative influence on his art.
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a formative experience
