How to Use derivative in a Sentence

derivative

1 of 2 noun
  • Tofu is one of many soybean derivatives.
  • Petroleum is a derivative of coal tar.
  • First is pro-retinol, which is a derivative of retinol.
    — Isabel Bekele, InStyle, 1 Feb. 2026
  • First is pro-retinol, which is a derivative of retinol.
    — Isabel Bekele, InStyle, 10 June 2026
  • Think of this icing as a fudge derivative.
    — Elizabeth Mervosh, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2025
  • And as with all things, sooner or later there’s a derivative of that thing.
    — Jeff Burkhart, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Benzoic acid, a derivative from tree bark, has a faint but fragrant smell.
    — Popular Science, 31 Aug. 2023
  • For a modern look, try mixing a pale warm blush pink (as a derivative of red) with touches of blue.
    — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 Oct. 2021
  • Since all insulation is some derivative of glass, tiny bits of glass can stick to your skin, making your skin itchy.
    — Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2021
  • The red pepper derivatives can cause swelling and irritation of the eyes, nose, and lungs.
    — Cameron Evans, Outdoor Life, 6 July 2023
  • The bourse in 2025 was said to be seeking to launch the derivatives as soon as the first half of this year.
    — Savio Shetty, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Tretinoin is not to be confused with retinol, a milder, over-the-counter vitamin A derivative.
    — Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 Feb. 2026
  • The coconut derivative in this body wash is an emollient that helps condition the skin and heal any rough, dry areas of the skin.
    — Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 June 2022
  • The merger created what was, at the time, the world’s largest derivatives market.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
  • Success is a derivative of failure, and transparency around that builds trust.
    — Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Just a month ago, derivatives markets expected the benchmark rate would fall to 3% by then.
    — WSJ, 26 May 2023
  • Addition will have a suite of products and Alma will have a few derivatives.
    — Morgan Korn, ABC News, 28 Dec. 2025
  • The play is a derivative of the Lion (double slant) concept.
    — Mike Defabo, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • While some places have embraced the use of cannabis derivatives, others have strict regulations in place.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2023
  • One of the main active derivatives of vitamin A, retinoic acid, impacts hair health and growth.
    — Laura Schober, Health, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Because of this, the market begins to feel less isolated and more linked to the broader derivative of space.
    — Felysha Walker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
  • In these cases, people missed the change in the first derivative (that pesky Calculus thing).
    — Bob Haber, Forbes, 26 May 2022
  • But more value may already be accruing to their derivatives.
    — Nina Bambysheva, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • She was involved in plans for new Mustang derivatives and special editions.
    — Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 22 Apr. 2023
  • Big and small, long and short, every other product is a derivative of a Pelican case.
    — Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 4 Oct. 2021
  • Prices for physical oil barrels, and many crucial derivatives like diesel and jet fuel, have soared much higher.
    — Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
  • That surge was due in part to an influx of fentanyl, the opium derivative as much as 100 times stronger than morphine.
    — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2022
  • But The Currents never comes off as derivative.
    — Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • These might include swaps, futures and other derivatives.
    — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2025
  • The derivatives industry, home to some of the most profitable businesses in the city, is a tempting target to plug that gap.
    — Isis Almeida, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2023

derivative

2 of 2 adjective
  • A number of critics found the film derivative and predictable.
  • His style seems too derivative of Hemingway.
  • But this doesn’t alter the fact that some of her work feels derivative.
    — Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
  • That’s less true of works in the show that feel derivative and less original.
    — Steven Litt, cleveland, 12 Dec. 2021
  • But Lee brings his own tone and style to the piece that keeps it from being derivative.
    — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2022
  • But through no fault of its own, other parts can’t help feeling derivative.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2021
  • The first is that the gangster side of the series is plenty derivative as well.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Yes, there will be a glut of new pop-punk in the next few years, and a lot of it will likely sound pretty derivative.
    — Justin Curto, Vulture, 21 Dec. 2021
  • But in derivative lawsuits, the judge must sign off on the settlement.
    — Adam Ferrise, cleveland, 13 July 2022
  • None of this is to say that Wordle is any less worthy for being derivative.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2022
  • The copyright holder has the right to make derivative works from its original work.
    — David L. Craddock, Ars Technica, 8 Oct. 2022
  • The modest facelift doesn't do much to dress up the derivative side profile, however.
    — David Beard, Car and Driver, 4 May 2022
  • The agency has since explored how to increase transparency for the types of derivative bets that sank the firm.
    — Greg Farrell, Fortune, 27 May 2021
  • Children’s content on YouTube tends to be derivative in this way.
    — New York Times, 5 Jan. 2022
  • Margins remained very volatile during this time due to tax law impact and heavy derivative losses.
    — Trefis Team, Forbes, 3 June 2021
  • Strictly speaking, the result was derivative, fill-in-the-blank.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
  • That is why smart money shifts toward derivative markets.
    — Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
  • Whether Larson’s letter is derivative, in the end, may be up to a jury to decide.
    — New York Times, 5 Oct. 2021
  • Such is the scourge of dogs, man’s worst enemy (not to mention an egregiously derivative ripoff of wolves).
    — Craig Thomas, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2022
  • It is also used to make glass, ceramics and other types of derivative products.
    — Dave Sebastian, WSJ, 20 June 2022
  • Strawberry girl was cute, if a bit derivative of 2022’s cold girl.
    — Kara McGrath, Allure, 1 Dec. 2023
  • For every schlocky, derivative entry, there’s one that endures.
    — Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
  • And the derivative benefit is reducing fraud waste and abuse.
    — Aaron Pressman, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Mar. 2023
  • Banks pass along that risk to corporate borrowers or parties to a derivative contract in the form of higher costs.
    — Mark Maurer, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Part of this is due to the fact that Shadow and Bone is derivative as all get-out, and the series both knows it and revels in it.
    — Jenna Scherer, Rolling Stone, 21 May 2021
  • Those designs have spawned extensive fan art, cosplay and other derivative works.
    — Billboard Japan, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2025
  • But just how dark or bizarre or derivative might plays and books and movies and memes get now that Public Domain Pooh is fair game?
    — Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2022
  • Too many moments feel derivative of The Revenant, and Betty Gilpin could have had more to do.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
  • In that case, members of the group could be entitled to make derivative works (such as Valdez’s poster at the Hammer).
    — Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023
  • And to pull back the film’s own Pennywisian mask of derivative fright-making is to find nothing much underneath.
    — A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'derivative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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