descriptive
Americanadjective
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having the quality of describing; characterized by description.
a descriptive passage in an essay.
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Grammar.
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(of an adjective or other modifier) expressing a quality of the word it modifies, as fresh in fresh milk.
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(of a clause) nonrestrictive.
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noting, concerned with, or based upon the fact or experience.
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characterized by or based upon the classification and description of material in a given field.
descriptive botany.
adjective
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characterized by or containing description; serving to describe
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grammar (of an adjective) serving to describe the referent of the noun modified, as for example the adjective brown as contrasted with my and former
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relating to or based upon description or classification rather than explanation or prescription
descriptive linguistics
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of descriptive
1745–55; < Late Latin dēscrīptīvus, equivalent to Latin dēscrīpt ( us ) ( see description) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Descriptive language is vivid and specific, and helps someone imagine a scene he didn't witness. You probably hope that your friend who works at the morgue isn't too descriptive when you ask him how his day was. The word descriptive comes from the Latin descript-, meaning "written down." Something that is descriptive uses an account of words to give us a sense of what it's like. We usually use descriptive when people are very effective at conveying something. James Agee is an author who excels at descriptive writing, spending pages and pages beautifully describing the scene of a poor cabin in the moonlight.
Vocabulary lists containing descriptive
Expository Writing, List 1
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Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
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STAAR English II: Composition, Revision, and Editing
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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.
"Rush revealed to a foreign government official the existence and certain descriptive information of a US government clandestine human source," they said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
“The parents learn the value of those interactions with their children. The importance of spending time truly talking, not just directive talk … but open-ended questions, using songs and rhymes, storytelling, descriptive language.”
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
But maybe that was simply too normal, too accurately descriptive to be written by a gay guy.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Time and Water” touches on the epic verse called rimurs, passed down via chanted song by Icelandic women, their descriptive, sorrowful tales like dispatches from previous ages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
He was a regular visitor who read the labels and descriptive notices in their entirety and approved of every animal he saw.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
