alliterative
Americanadjective
Usage
What does alliterative mean? Alliterative is an adjective used to describe things that use or are examples of alliteration—the repetition of the same or a similar sound at or near the beginning of each word in a series. The tongue twister Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers is a classic example of alliteration. The sentence uses the same consonant (the letter p) at the beginning of each main word to make it alliterative. Sometimes, alliteration can involve the repetition of not a single letter but the same letter combination, such as tr, as in Trip truly tricked Tracy. It can also be created by the repetition of vowels or vowel sounds, as in Every editor expects excellence. Examples: Many comic book characters have alliterative names, like Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Wonder Woman.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of alliterative
First recorded in 1755–65; alliterat(ion) + -ive
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.
September 28, 2010, 11:07 am Playing the Alliterative Ponies With a Funny Fellow When Pat Cooper picks his horses, he looks for repeating letters.
From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2010
They axid hors and armes bryght, to horsbak went thay in ffere. viii B. Alliterative combinations, one part of which is a proper name.
From Torrent of Portyngale by Unknown
In the “Comic Almanack” will be found many examples of Alliterative Designs.
From English Caricaturists and Graphic Humourists of the Nineteenth Century. How they Illustrated and Interpreted their Times. by Everitt, Graham
“Bowed to þe hyȝ bonk þer brentest hit wern,” Alliterative Poems, ed.
From A Concise Dictionary of Middle English From A.D. 1150 to 1580 by Mayhew, A. L. (Anthony Lawson)
Alliterative lines and verses appear frequently in the ballads, but always with good taste, often with exquisite effect.
From The Balladists Famous Scots Series by Geddie, John
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.
