caus·a·tive (kô?z?-t?v)adj.1. Functioning as an agent or cause.2. Expressing causation. Used of a verb or verbal affix.caus?a·tive n.caus?a·tive·ly adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.causative (?k??z?t?v) adj1. (Grammar) grammar relating to a form or class of verbs, such as persuade, that express causation2. (and foll by: of) producing an effectn (Grammar) the causative form or class of verbs ?causatively adv ?causativeness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014caus?a?tive (?k? z? t?v) adj. 1. acting as a cause; producing (often fol. by of): a causative agent. 2. expressing causation, as the verb fell ?to cause to fall? or the suffix -en in sharpen ?to cause to become sharp.? n. 3. a word or form expressing causation. [1375?1425; late Middle English