A Topical Dictionary: Search for Constructive

Dictionary Results For "Constructive" [?]/[OPML]

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English

Adjective

relating to construction
carefully considered and meant to be helpful

Translations

Finnish: rakentava

French: constructif

Derived terms

ar:constructive el:constructive es:constructive fr:constructive id:constructive pl:constructive ru:constructive fi:constructive ta:constructive te:constructive vi:constructive zh:constructive

GNU Project's publication of CIDE, the Collaborative International Dictionary of English Constructive \Con*struct"ive\, a. [Cf. F. constructif.]
1. Having ability to construct or form; employed in
construction; as, to exhibit constructive power.
[1913 Webster]

The constructive fingers of Watts. --Emerson.
[1913 Webster]

2. Derived from, or depending on, construction, inference, or
interpretation; not directly expressed, but inferred.
[1913 Webster]

3. helpful; promoting improvement; intended to help; as,
constructive criticism; constructive suggestions.
Contrasted with destructive.
[PJC]

Constructive crimes (Law), acts having effects analogous to
those of some statutory or common law crimes; as,
constructive treason. Constructive crimes are no longer
recognized by the courts.

Constructive notice, notice imputed by construction of law.

Constructive trust, a trust which may be assumed to exist,
though no actual mention of it be made.
[1913 Webster]

WordNet constructive
adj 1: constructing or tending to construct or improve or promote
development; "constructive criticism"; "a constructive
attitude"; "a constructive philosophy"; "constructive
permission" [ant: destructive]
2: emphasizing what is laudable or hopeful or to the good;
"constructive criticism"

Moby Dictionary
advantageous , aidful , beneficial , causative , conducive ,
construable , constructional , contributory , creative , deduced ,
definitional , demiurgic , derived , descriptive , diagnostic ,
exegetic , formative , furthersome , generative , good for , helpful ,
hermeneutic , implicit , inferential , inferred , interpretable ,
interpretational , interpretive , inventive , originative , positive ,
practicable , practical , productive , profitable , ratiocinative ,
remedial , renderable , salutary , semeiological , serviceable ,
symptomatological , therapeutic , tropological , useful , virtual

FOLDOC constructive

A proof that something exists is "constructive"
if it provides a method for actually constructing it.
Cantor's proof that the real numbers are uncountable can
be thought of as a *non-constructive* proof that {irrational
number}s exist. (There are easy constructive proofs, too; but
there are existence theorems with no known constructive
proof).

Obviously, all else being equal, constructive proofs are
better than non-constructive proofs. A few mathematicians
actually reject *all* non-constructive arguments as invalid;
this means, for instance, that the law of the {excluded
middle} (either P or not-P must hold, whatever P is) has to
go; this makes proof by contradiction invalid. See
intuitionistic logic for more information on this.

Most mathematicians are perfectly happy with non-constructive
proofs; however, the constructive approach is popular in
theoretical computer science, both because computer scientists
are less given to abstraction than mathematicians and because
intuitionistic logic turns out to be the right theory for a
theoretical treatment of the foundations of computer science.

(1995-04-13)

CONSTRUCTIVE. That which is interpreted. 2. Constructive presence. The commission of crimes, is, when a party is not actually present, an eyewitness to its commission but, acting with others, watching while another commits the crime. 1 Russ. Cr. 22. 3. Constructive larceny. One where the taking was not apparently felonious, but by construction of the prisoner's acts it is just to presume he intended at the time of taking to appropriate the property feloniously to his own use; 2 East, P. C. 685; 1 Leach, 212; as when he obtained the delivery of the goods animo furandi. 2 N. & M. 90. See 15 S. & R. 93; 4 Mass. 580; I Bay, 242. 4. Constructive breaking into a house. In order to commit a burglary, there must be a breaking of the house; this may be actual or constructive. A constructive breaking is when the burglar gains an entry into the house by fraud, conspiracy, or threat. See Burglary, A familiar instance of constructive breaking is the case of a burglar who coming to the house under pretence of business, gains admittance, and after being admitted, commits such acts as, if there had been an actual brooking, would have amounted to a burglary Bac. Ab. Burglary, A. See 1 Moody Cr. Cas. 87, 250. 5. Constructive notice. Such a notice, that although it be not actual, is sufficient in law; an example of this is the recording of a deed, which is notice to all the world, and so is the pendancy of a suit a general notice of an equity. 4 Bouv. Inst. n. 3874. See Lis pendens. 6. Constructive annexation. The annexation to the inheritance by the law, of certain things which are not actually attached to it; for example, the keys of a house; and heir looms are constructively annexed. Shep. Touch. 90; Poth. Traits des Choses, Sec. 1. 7. Constructive fraud. A contract or act, which, not originating in evil design and contrivance to perpetuate a positive fraud or injury upon other persons, yet, by its necessary tendency to deceive or mislead them, or to violate a public or private confidence, or to impair or injure public interest, is deemed equally reprehensible with positive fraud, and therefore is prohibited by law, as within the same reason and mischief as contracts and acts done malo animo. 1 Story, Eq. Sec. 258 to 440.