I. ˈkōnəd.iv, ˈkän- adjective
Etymology: conat ion + -ive
1. : having the characteristics of or involving conation
literature and art appeal as much to the affective and conative as to the merely cognitive side of man's being — Aldous Huxley
2. : denoting an attempt to perform an action — used of verb forms or affixes in certain languages
II. noun
( -s )
: a conative verb form, set of verb forms, or affix
III. adjective
: of or relating to the function of a message to influence the one receiving it
• conatively adverb