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alliterative

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

/ əˈlɪt əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR alliterative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to or characterized by alliteration: alliterative verse.

Words nearby alliterative

allis's sign, allision, allison, alliterate, alliteration, alliterative, allium, allmouth, allness, allo-, allo.

Origin of alliterative

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

OTHER WORDS FROM alliterative

al·lit·er·a·tive·ly, adverbal·lit·er·a·tive·ness, nounnon·al·lit·er·a·tive, adjectivenon·al·lit·er·a·tive·ly, adverb

non·al·lit·er·a·tive·ness, nounun·al·lit·er·a·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alliterative

Even his alliterative name had mythic qualities: Ben Bradlee.
Ben Bradlee Was the Last of the Newspaper Giants|Tom Shales|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like Sigurd and Gudrún, The Fall of Arthur is in alliterative verse, a mode last fashionable in the 14th century.
Tolkien’s Unfinished Epic: ‘The Fall of Arthur’|John Garth|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“More Mitt,” as Politico reported at least has the virtue of alliterative succinctness.
How Mitt Romney Can Win the First Debate With Obama|Robert Shrum|September 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Wat Wynk: an alliterative nick-name like Nicholl Nedy in l. 405.
Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose|Various

Thus we have traced the alliterative measure so low as the sixteenth century.
A History of English Versification|Jakob Schipper
The first attempt at a theory of the metrical structure of the alliterative line was made by Lachmann.
A History of English Versification|Jakob Schipper
And Mr. Jones, like some wiser people, was the more pleased with his formula that it had an alliterative sound.
The Hoosier Schoolmaster|Edward Eggleston
But there is a great difference among the alliterative romances.
Medieval English Literature|William Paton Ker

The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...