interpretive
Americanadjective
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serving to interpret; explanatory.
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deduced by interpretation.
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made because of interpretation.
an interpretive distortion of language.
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of or relating to those arts that require an intermediary, as a performer, for realization, as in music or theater.
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offering interpretations, explanations, or guidance, as through lectures, brochures, or films.
the museum's interpretive center.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of interpretive
Explanation
Use the adjective interpretive to describe things that explain or define, like an interpretive dance that uses movements and gestures to convey the meaning of a piece of music. Interpretive comes from the Latin word interpretari, which means "explain, expound, understand." Inter- means "between" or "among," so you know there will be two or more parts to things that are interpretive. It's a subjective response that involves the thing that's being interpreted and the person doing the interpreting. A reader might have an interpretive response to a book, a guide will give an interpretative description of a painting for a tour group, and so on.
Vocabulary lists containing interpretive
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.
In lieu of full public access, Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes, a sister organization to Lindman’s land trust, leads private tours for small groups of people who pay about $35 apiece for a carefully supervised hike.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2024
Interpretive signs and a central public access path enhanced viewing and provided information about the experiment in urban beach restoration.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023
Any future vandalism would be investigated by federal law enforcement rather than local police, according to Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi.
From Reuters • Jul. 25, 2023
Interpretive signs, some with tactile elements, provide historical and botanical information.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2023
A half hour later they drove away from the Interpretive Center.
From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III
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.
