appreciative
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of appreciative
First recorded in 1690–1700; appreciate + -ive
Explanation
If you do a friend a favor, your friend will probably be appreciative, meaning grateful. Use appreciative to describe words and actions that are positive, either out of gratitude or respect. If you know that appreciation is a type of respect and admiration, then you won't be surprised by the meanings of appreciative. Children should be appreciative of everything their parents do to take care of them. We can also say a positive review is appreciative, showing that the critic likes and appreciates the subject of the review. Appreciative words and gestures are always positive and respectful.
Vocabulary lists containing appreciative
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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Bless Me, Ultima
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"Animal Snoops," Vocabulary from the informational text
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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.
He received a hero’s welcome in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv after forging a tenuous Gaza ceasefire last October, visibly moved as he was drowned out by appreciative shouts of “Thank you, Witkoff!”
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
The men's record 24-time major winner gave an appreciative wave to all sides of Centre Court as he took his leave, having been well-backed throughout a difficult afternoon.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
At the same time, Eichacker has grown more appreciative of students who turn in an “honest clumsy response.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Tsai felt similarly appreciative of the authorship she had over Sunny, a character who in other series might have been flattened into someone to root against.
From Salon ● May 11, 2026
Just occasionally am I permitted an appreciative glimpse into the wonder that is geology, and such a place is the Delaware Water Gap.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
