Administrative is an adjective describing matters related to organization, management, or the administration of institutions or procedures. It often conveys a formal, bureaucratic sense and can refer to personnel, processes, or offices responsible for governance. In everyday speech it may appear as part of phrases like administrative duties or administrative overhead.
- You often reduce the /æ/ in the first syllable, rushing into /ˈmɪn/; keep a crisp /æ/ and then a clean /d/ to start the /ˌmɪnə/ portion. - The 'admin' portion can become 'ad-min' without linking to 'istrative'; aim for a seamless transition: /ˌædˈmɪnɪstrə/. - In rapid speech, the final /tɪv/ may become /tɪ/ or /tɪv/ with weak articulation; practice finishing with a clear /v/ and a subtle vowel before it.
- US: emphasize the vowel lengths and a slightly tighter final syllable; keep the middle vowels compact; /ˌædˌmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/. - UK: often crisper enunciation in the middle vowels and clearer /ˈstreɪ/; non-rhotic, but /v/ remains voiced; - AU: tends to reduce unstressed vowels more; maintain the sequence /ædˈmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/ with a slightly flattened rhythm. Use IPA cues to guide mouth shapes.
"The administrative staff arranged the conference room and prepared the guest list."
"She works in administrative services, handling scheduling and data entry."
"The university is undergoing administrative reforms to streamline approvals."
"We discussed the administrative costs associated with the new policy."
Administrative comes from the Latin adjective administrativem, meaning 'of or belonging to administration,' from administrare 'to manage, direct, to govern,' which itself is from ad- 'to' + ministrare 'to tend, serve, manage.' The noun administra- (administration) traces to Latin administratio. The English form appeared in the late 15th to 16th centuries, originally tied to governance and management. As government and organizational structures evolved, the sense broadened from strictly governance to any matter relating to the organization and management of institutions, offices, and processes. The word gained nuanced meaning in bureaucratic contexts, where it separated administrative duties from policy-making, and later extended to non-governmental contexts, such as business administration, university administration, and administrative law. The aptness of the term in contemporary usage reflects a long-standing association with organized processes, paperwork, and the systems that sustain operations. The pronunciation and stress pattern have remained stable, with primary stress on the third syllable: ad-MIN-is-tra-tive, though rapid speech often reduces vowels in unstressed syllables. First known usage appears in legal and governmental texts during the Renaissance as English bureaucratic language matured. Over centuries, it migrated into general managerial vocabularies worldwide, maintaining its core meaning of relating to administration and its functions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Administrative" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Administrative" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Administrative"
-ive sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it with four syllables: /ˌædˌmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/ or /ˌædˈmɪnɪstrətɪv/ depending on vowel quality. Primary stress is on the third syllable '-strative' in careful speech: ad-MIN-is-tra-tive. In everyday speech, you may hear a lighter second vowel; keep the 'ad-' as a separate, unstressed prefix. IPA reference: US /ˌædˌmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/; UK /ˌædˌmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/; AU /ˌædˌmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/. Focus on the /ˌæ/ in the first syllable, /ˈstreɪ/ in the stressed syllable for accurate articulation.
Two frequent errors: (1) Shifting the main stress to the second syllable (ad-MIN-istrative), which softens the emphasis on the key 'streɪ' part. (2) Flattening the middle vowel sequence to 'admin-' without clearly moving into the '-istrative' portion, causing the word to sound clipped. To correct: keep the secondary stress on the 'MIN' segment but ensure you deliver the '-st' cluster clearly and then glide into the '-ra-tive' with the final 'tɪv' clearly enunciated. Practice with a slight pause before the 'streɪ' portion to mark the rhythm.
US and UK both place primary stress on the 'streɪ' syllable (ad-MIN-i STRA-tiv), but vowel qualities vary: US tends to keep /æ/ in the first syllable and may shorten the middle vowels; UK often preserves clearer /ɪ/ and /ə/ in unstressed positions. Australian speakers typically reduce some unstressed vowels more and may merge /ɪ/ with /ə/ in the middle vowels, yielding a slightly flatter rhythm. Rhoticity isn’t a major factor here, but the final /v/ is typically voiced in all three, with UK and AU slightly softer on the vowel preceding it.
The difficulty centers on the multi-syllabic structure and the shift in stress across syllables: the word blends ad- with -min- and -istrative, requiring precise placement of the root stress on the 'streɪ' segment and smooth transitions through a sequence of consonant clusters: /d/, /m/, /n/, /str/. The weak vowels in the unstressed syllables can be reduced quickly in rapid speech, which can blur the local accent cues. Practicing with controlled rhythm helps you stabilize the sequence and improve clarity.
Note the clear articulation of the /str/ cluster in the 'strative' portion and the two unstressed vowels flanking it. The
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- Shadowing: listen to a 30-second clip from a professional speaker and mirror exactly the rhythm: /ˌædˌmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/. - Minimal pairs: administrative vs. administrative? (no exact pair) use 'administrative' vs. 'administratively' for stress shift; 'administration' helps as a related anchor. - Rhythm: count syllables 4; mark the stressed syllable with louder volume and longer duration on 'streɪ'. - Stress practice: practice with a metronome at 60-80 BPM, aligning the beat with the stressed syllable. - Recording: record yourself reading sentences with 'administrative' and compare to a native speaker; focus on the /ˌædˌmɪnɪˈstreɪtɪv/ sequence.
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