Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "commutative" [com•mut•a•tive]

  • Relating to, involving, or characterized by substitution, interchange, or exchange. (adjective)
  • Independent of order. Used of a logical or mathematical operation that combines objects or sets of objects two at a time. If a × b = b × a, the operation indicated by × is commutative. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "commutative" in a sentence
  • "The market is subject to the principles of so-called commutative justice, which regulates the relations of giving and receiving between parties to a transaction."
  • "This is justice in exchange, or what Aristotle called commutative or corrective justice."
  • "Among equals, it is called commutative justice, the which alone is here in question."