Normative
/ˈnɔːrmətɪv/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Normative means relating to rules, standards, or ideas about what should be done or what is considered right and normal. It often talks about expectations or values in society, not just what is, but what ought to be.
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See It in Action
Related to rules or standards about what is right or expected
- •The teacher gave a normative statement about honesty being important.
- •Normative ethics studies what people should do morally.
- •The law is normative because it tells people what they must or must not do.
Expressing values or judgments, not just facts
- •Saying "People should recycle" is a normative claim.
- •The report included normative opinions about how companies ought to behave.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "normative" like "normal," but instead of just describing what usually happens, it tells what should happen or what is right.
- ✓Picture a teacher explaining classroom rules — these rules are normative because they say how students should behave.
- ✓It's the feeling when someone says, "This is the proper way to act," guiding your behavior.
- ✓Sounds like "NORMAL-tive" → imagine a normal road with signs that say "You must stop here" — these are rules to follow.
- ✓Think of laws or social manners that tell people what is right or wrong, not just what is common.
- ✓NOT like "descriptive" (which only tells what happens), "normative" tells what should happen or what is good.
- ✓NOT like "optional" — normative ideas are about duties or expectations, not just suggestions.
Try Other Words
- •Standard: a rule or level that is accepted (Use when talking about agreed rules or levels to reach)
- •Prescriptive: giving rules or instructions on what to do (Use when focusing on telling people what they must do)
- •Ethical: related to moral rules about right and wrong (Use when talking about what is morally right or wrong)
Unboxing
- •Prefix: "norm-" meaning rule or standard
- •Suffix: "-ative" meaning relating to or having the quality of
- •Origin: From Latin "norma" meaning a carpenter’s square or rule, used to measure or set standards
- •Historical use: Originally about measuring tools, later used for rules and standards in behavior and thinking
- •Modern usage: Used in philosophy, law, and social sciences to talk about what should be done, what is right, or what rules people should follow
Reflect & Connect
•How do normative ideas influence the way people behave in different cultures?
•Can something be normal but not normative? How does that change our view of right and wrong?
Fill in the blanks
1.A normative statement usually tells us what people ___ to do, not just what they ___ doing.
2.Laws are considered normative because they set ___ for behavior that people must follow.
3.Unlike descriptive facts, normative ideas express ___ or judgments about right and wrong.
4.When someone says "You should be kind," they are making a ___ claim.
5.Normative rules often come with ___ about consequences if people do not follow them.
6.In ethics, normative questions ask what actions are ___ or wrong.
7.A custom can be normal in a society, but only becomes normative if people ___ it as a rule.