alliterative

[ uh-lit-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or characterized by alliteration:

   alliterative verse.

Other Words From

• al·liter·ative·ly adverb
• al·liter·ative·ness noun
• nonal·liter·ative adjective
• nonal·liter·ative·ly adverb
• nonal·liter·ative·ness noun
• unal·liter·ative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of alliterative¹

First recorded in 1755–65; alliterat(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

Even his alliterative name had mythic qualities: Ben Bradlee.

From The Daily Beast

Like Sigurd and Gudrún, The Fall of Arthur is in alliterative verse, a mode last fashionable in the 14th century.

From The Daily Beast

“More Mitt,” as Politico reported at least has the virtue of alliterative succinctness.

From The Daily Beast

Every alliterative couplet had two accented syllables, containing the same initial consonants, one in each of the two sections.

From Project Gutenberg

Schipper sees in it a mixture of septenaries, alexandrines, and alliterative verse.

From Project Gutenberg

Moreover the alliterative element is considerable; the poet starts with two perfect lines, and ll.

From Project Gutenberg

It is written, like all old Teutonic work of the kind, in alliterative unrhymed rhythm.

From Project Gutenberg

The light rippling melody of this stanza is due, in considerable measure, to its fine alliterative structure.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• boring
• redundant
• repetitive

More About Alliterative

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.

Where does alliterative come from?

The first records of the word alliterative come from the 1750s. Alliteration is recorded earlier, in the 1600s, and comes from the Latin word littera, meaning “letter” (as in a letter of the alphabet).

Though it often depends on the repetition of the same letter, alliteration is really about repeating the same sound at the start of a stressed syllable at or near the beginning of a word. Skillful use of alliteration can make words sound melodic or almost musical. A writer might make a sentence alliterative just for fun, but many times it’s done to to play up a particular passage—to draw the reader’s attention to it for some reason. Overuse of alliteration can sometimes sound silly, especially since alliteration is associated with its use in nursery rhymes and tongue twisters like She sells seashells by the sea shore. 

Probably because it makes them more more memorable, cartoon and comics characters are often given alliterative names: Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Betty Boop, Spongebob Squarepants, Peter Parker, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and Wonder Woman are just a few of the many examples.

Alliteration is also common in brand names (Coca-Cola), stage names (Big Boi), band names (Foo Fighters), real names (Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian), books (Pride and Prejudice), movies (The Fast and the Furious), TV shows (Breaking Bad), musical albums (Magical Mystery Tour), and many other things.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to alliterative?

• alliteratively (adverb)
• alliterativeness (noun)
• alliteration (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with alliterative? 

• letter

What are some words that often get used in discussing alliterative?

• repetition
• same
• sound
• consonant
• vowel
• syllable
• poetry

How is alliterative used in real life?

People love to use alliteration because it’s fun. It’s especially used to create memorable names or titles for things.

I realized yesterday I automatically think people with alliterative names are cool.

— Sandra Newman (@sannewman) April 15, 2016

Do you think Hogwarts was started just because four friends had alliterative names?

— Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) February 1, 2016

Time spent writing Realms blog posts:

50% Content
50% Finding a dumb, alliterative title

— Marc Watson (@Marc_IRL) October 25, 2018

 

 

Try using alliterative!

True or False? 

For something to be considered alliterative, it must involve the repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of a word.