demonstrative

American  

[duh-mon-struh-tiv] / dəˈmɒn strə tɪv /

adjective

1. characterized by or given to open exhibition or expression of one's emotions, attitudes, etc., especially of love or affection.

   She wished her fiancé were more demonstrative.

2. serving to demonstrate; explanatory or illustrative.

3. serving to prove the truth of anything; indubitably conclusive.

4. Grammar. indicating or singling out the thing referred to. This is a demonstrative pronoun.

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noun

• demonstratives
  plural

1. Grammar. a demonstrative word, as this or there.

demonstrative British  

/ dɪˈmɒnstrətɪv /

adjective

1. tending to manifest or express one's feelings easily or unreservedly

2. serving as proof; indicative

3. involving or characterized by demonstration

   a demonstrative lecture

4. conclusive; indubitable

   demonstrative arguments

5. grammar denoting or belonging to a class of determiners used to point out the individual referent or referents intended, such as this, that, these, and those Compare interrogative relative

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noun

1. grammar a demonstrative word or construction

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• demonstrativeness
  noun
• nondemonstrativeness
  noun
• nondemonstrative
  adjective
• predemonstrative
  adjective
• demonstratively
  adverb
• nondemonstratively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• demonstratives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of demonstrative

1350–1400; Middle English demonstratif (< Middle French ) < Latin dēmonstrātīvus, equivalent to dēmonstrāt ( us ) ( see demonstrate) + -īvus -ive

Explanation

People who are demonstrative easily and clearly show their emotions. A demonstrative person might shout "Hooray" and jump for joy at good news. A non-demonstrative person might feel no less excited, but refrain from demonstrating it. To demonstrate means to show, so think of demonstrative as showing. In legal terms, demonstrative is used to describe evidence that shows that something happened––a note that says "I did it" might show, or demonstrate, an accused person's guilt. In grammar, demonstrative pronouns––this, that, these, those––indicate the thing or person that is being pointed out, or shown, as in “Officer, it was ‘that’ man who stole my purse!”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

demonstrative demonstratives

"They’ve been striking trains for a long time already. It’s just that this time, they decided to target in a more demonstrative way a train that was going abroad," she said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Finns may not be known for demonstrative cheerfulness, nor necessarily for being makers of excessively happy music.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Mr. Pelley chose the former, more demonstrative course.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

He is not a demonstrative individual, in news conferences or on the sideline.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Pleased, Mama bent to give Diko’s snout a demonstrative pat.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Statistical analysis revealed the same mapping between reachable and non-reachable objects and demonstratives across all languages.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2023

They tested over 1,000 speakers to see how they use demonstratives in their language to describe where objects are across a range of different spatial configurations.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2023

"This distinction may explain the early evolutionary origin of demonstratives as linguistic forms," he added.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2023

The demonstratives are used as articles: gazt-en-or, "this younger one"; andre-ori, "this lady at some distance."

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

This, that, former, latter, both, neither, are termed demonstratives; because they point out precisely the subjects to which they relate.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown

Related Words

• candid
• effusive
• outspoken