evocative
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of evocative
1650–60; < Latin ēvocātīvus, equivalent to ēvocāt ( us ) ( see evoke, -ate 1) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Use the adjective evocative when you want to describe something that reminds you of something else. If your mom baked a lot when you were a kid, the smell of cookies in the oven is probably evocative of your childhood. Evocative comes from the Latin word evocare, which means to "call out" or "summon." Think of a batch of cookies summoning a memory from your childhood. To summon something you need a voice, and indeed, the Latin word for voice is vocare. Other related words include the noun vocation, which means "a calling."
Vocabulary lists containing evocative
This Week in Words: April 13–19, 2019
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"Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell
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The Night Circus
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
About half the tracks on “Inferno” are purely instrumental, and these cinematic creations are no less evocative, conjuring words and pictures through their sonics alone.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Times Book Prize winner Danielle Trussoni — this cozy read blends a clever plot with the author’s evocative descriptions of Parisian food, wine and community reminiscent of Julia Child’s “My Life in France.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
"That photo of the ripped kippah – there's something so kind of evocative about it," he reflected.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
Her writing has always been evocative and incisive, and her economical prose in this book possesses the same kind of rhythms she describes in the music, poetry, film or other art she illustrates.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
Maybe it was, but like his music, I found his paintings evocative, endearing, and curious.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
