descriptive

adjective

de·​scrip·​tive di-ˈskrip-tiv How to pronounce descriptive (audio)
Synonyms of descriptivenext
1
: presenting observations about the characteristics of someone or something : serving to describe
a descriptive account
2
a
: referring to, constituting, or grounded in matters of observation or experience
the descriptive basis of science
b
: factually grounded or informative rather than normative, prescriptive, or emotive
descriptive cultural studies
3
of a modifier
a
: expressing the quality, kind, or condition of what is denoted by the modified term
hot in "hot water" is a descriptive adjective
b
: nonrestrictive
4
linguistics : of, relating to, or dealing with the structure of a language at a particular time usually with exclusion of historical and comparative data
descriptive linguistics
descriptively adverb
descriptiveness noun

Examples of descriptive in a Sentence

She gave a descriptive account of the journey. a talent for descriptive writing a poem full of descriptive detail The black cat was given the descriptive name “Midnight.” The book is a descriptive grammar.
Recent Examples on the Web Navajo Nation residents in Utah received accurate new home addresses to strengthen voting rights Rural communities often rely on step-by-step, descriptive addresses to access services. —Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024 Sewell may play Andrew more bumbling than arrogant, even though the second descriptive better sums up the real prince’s attitude throughout that exchange, yet the notion of an supposedly untouchable man repeatedly shooting himself in the crotch remains. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for descriptive 

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

Word History

Etymology

see describe

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of descriptive was in 1593

Phrases Containing descriptive

Dictionary Entries Near descriptive

descriptio personae

descriptive

descriptive anatomy

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Descriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descriptive. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

descriptive

adjective
de·​scrip·​tive di-ˈskrip-tiv How to pronounce descriptive (audio)
: serving to describe
a descriptive account
a descriptive adjective
descriptively adverb
descriptiveness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway

How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Pilfer: How to Play and Win

The Words of the Week - May 24

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

9 Superb Owl Words

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...