interpretive
Americanadjective
-
serving to interpret; explanatory.
-
deduced by interpretation.
-
made because of interpretation.
an interpretive distortion of language.
-
of or relating to those arts that require an intermediary, as a performer, for realization, as in music or theater.
-
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.
These are artists thinking about bodies, and their works invite interpretive conjecture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The data turns Shin’s hawkishness from an interpretive risk into a policy path.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
The broad audience reach and the nightly airing of these shows have ensured that the jokes create a broad interpretive community that translates comedic barbs into collective consciousness.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
In Washington, attorney David Sobel last month sued to find out how the interpretive sign about Senator Francis Griffith Newlands was removed from the fountain near his home.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
And bouncing on her flat heels, full of coffee and nerve and code, was Eva Seiler, Berlin’s interpretive liaison with London, soon to insinuate herself into the German-speaking underworld of Ormaie.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
