Confusing Words: Affective (adjective) and Effective (adjective)
Meaning:
Affective (relating to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions)
Effective (successful in producing a desired or intended result.)
Affective vs Effective Clarification: Affective and effective are both used as adjective but both have different meanings.
Affective vs Effective – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?
Forget about the verbs ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ because ‘affective’ and ‘effective’ are not related to these words. Unlike verbs, affective and effective are somehow related to the noun forms of affect and effect.
Affective + Effective = Adjectives
Affective and effective are adjectives. You can say that these words are derived from the nouns ‘affect’ and ‘effect’. Both of these words have different meanings and functions. At first sight, you will notice that there is only one-letter difference between affective and effective.
The pronunciation also differs as affective is same as /a-fect/ and effective as /ee-fect/. But it has been noticed that effective can be pronounced as /a-fect/ too. Some dictionaries follow /ee-fect/, some follow /a-fect/ while some follow both pronunciations. So, the choice is yours.
You have to keep in mind that in writing, you must have enough idea about the correct usage of both words. Pronunciation can be same but meanings are different for both of these words. That is why, continue reading this post for the meanings and correct usage of affective and effective in sentences.
Definition and Examples of Affective and Effective
As I mentioned above that in sentences, affective and effective function as adjectives but they are quite different in their meanings.
Affective
Affective is related to the noun ‘affect. It is somehow associated with feelings or emotions. If you remember my ‘affect vs. effect’ post, I have asked you to avoid the usage of ‘affect’ as a noun. Like this term, affective is mostly related to the field of psychology. It is defined ‘as an outcome or a result of feelings or emotions of something or someone’.
1. There is evidence that the cognitive and affective components of behavior do not always match with behavior. Reference –(simplypsychology.org)
2. Objectives in the affective domain are concerned with the development of students’ attitudes, feelings and emotions. Reference –(Grammarist.com)
You see that in the above examples, the usage of affective is directly related to psychology. So, you have to keep in mind that affective always applies in the sentences associated with the field of psychology, just like the noun ‘affect’.
Do not get mixed up with the verb form of ‘affect’ as it is seriously not linked with this ‘affective’.
Effective
Effective is also used as an adjective. You do not have to be worried about the complications of this particular word. Effective is easy to understand as you always use this word or you can say that it occurs on a daily routine language.
For example, if you are working in a company and you are so good at work, always come up with desired results. The company will definitely use this word for you i.e. an effective employee because you always come up with effective solutions. ‘Effective’ is defined as ‘competent in producing a successful or desired result or outcome’.
1. An effective leader is a need of any developing country.
2. So the single most effective way to improve as a runner is to consistently run a lot.
I hope that with the above discussion, you are now clear with the meanings and functions of both of these words.
What Did You Learn?
Affective and effective are both used as adjective but both have different meanings. Affective is mostly or always use in the field of psychology whereas effective is in your everyday language. Affective is associated with feelings or emotions. Effective, on the other hand, is competent in producing successful outcome or result.