as in secondary
taken or created from something original or basic
a derivative style taken from earlier painters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in derivation
something that naturally develops or is developed from something else
the whole field of industrial robots is a derivative of technology developed for the space program
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derivative
David Lawder, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Strictly speaking, the result was derivative, fill-in-the-blank.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
Retinol is a popular derivative of topical vitamin A, a superstar vitamin for radiant skin.
—Brianna Peters, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derivative
Adjective
Also exempted are steel, aluminum and derivative products, passenger vehicles, copper and other goods subject to separate tariffs of up to 50% under the Section 232 national security trade law.
—David Lawder, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Strictly speaking, the result was derivative, fill-in-the-blank.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
However, the Fed buys and sells Treasury securities, or short-term derivatives thereof, daily.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
Retinol is a popular derivative of topical vitamin A, a superstar vitamin for radiant skin.
—Brianna Peters, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derivative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derivative
Adjective
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At the time, court records show, the material support allegation was listed as a secondary concern after more common asylum questions about the veracity of official documents and his claims of persecution in Egypt.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Many planets, including Earth, have built up a heavier secondary atmosphere after losing the primary atmosphere, NASA said, adding there is an equal chance an atmosphere does not exist.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bose found a stronger mathematical derivation of Planck’s law.—
Matt von Hippel,
Quanta Magazine,
23 June 2025
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Labels want systems that can not only detect direct sample reuse but also flag stylistic derivations within generative model outputs.—
Virginie Berger,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Deutsche Börse, which runs the Frankfurt Stock Exchange from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time five days a week for derivates and structured products, echoed Euronext.—
Ganesh Rao,Jenni Reid,
CNBC,
22 July 2025
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With unique enough lore and a unique style, Saxon avoids making a derivate fable.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derivative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derivative. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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