communicative
Americanadjective
-
inclined to communicate or impart; talkative.
He isn't feeling very communicative today.
- Synonyms:
- expansive, voluble, loquacious, free-spoken
-
of or relating to communication.
adjective
-
inclined or able to communicate readily; talkative
-
of or relating to communication
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of communicative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin commūnicātīvus, from commūnicāt(us) “imparted” (past participle of commūnicāre “to impart, make common”; see communicate) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
To be communicative is to have the ability to communicate — to exchange thoughts and ideas. Couples often go to counseling to learn to be more communicative. It's easy to see the verb communicate in the adjective communicative: a communicative person is one who can communicate easily. Being communicative is one of the qualities we most value in other people. There's nothing more frustrating than a person who's not communicative, because you can't talk to them. I'm surprised when others are surprised at how communicative my dog is. Aren't all dogs good at talking to their owners?
Vocabulary lists containing communicative
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Texas v. Johnson (1989)
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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.
His most influential work, The Theory of Communicative Action, published in 1981, argued that human societies were sustained not by political or economic power but by the capacity for rational dialogue.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
For the 2-year-olds, the researchers turned to the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, which asks a parent to report on the child's vocabulary, language complexity and the average length of the child's longest three utterances.
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2024
Communicative situations nearly always contain rhetoric, the craft of persuading through writing or speaking.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
“If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t be here now,” she said of Outterbridge, who also was a founding director of the Communicative Arts Academy in Compton from 1969 to 1975.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2021
Now, if you will just move up a little I'll take a seat in your Communicative Association.
From Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 12, March 22, 1884 A Weekly Journal for the Farm, Orchard and Fireside by Various
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.
