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
- descriptively adverb
- descriptiveness noun
- nondescriptive adjective
- nondescriptively adverb
- nondescriptiveness noun
- overdescriptive adjective
- overdescriptively adverb
- overdescriptiveness noun
- self-descriptive adjective
- undescriptive adjective
- undescriptively adverb
- undescriptiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of descriptive
1745–55; < Late Latin dēscrīptīvus, equivalent to Latin dēscrīpt ( us ) ( description ) + -īvus -ive
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.
The appearance of “A Marsh Island” deepens the mystery, as it showcases the same descriptive purity and keen appreciation of human behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Easily accessible generative artificial intelligence tools, such as Google's Veo and OpenAI's Sora, enable the creation of realistic imagery using just a few descriptive words.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
Much of her sophomore album “Vanity” has main character energy, and Lovestory’s “Telenovela,” with its extended metaphors of Barbarella bad bitches, “tragica erotica,” and using “su lengua pa cambiar el canal” is the descriptive centerpiece.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
"In short, investigating fanaticism is not merely descriptive -- it is developmentally informed prevention that protects public health and strengthens democratic cohesion. When we discuss fanaticism, the facts speak for themselves."
From Science Daily • Nov. 11, 2025
Then Mrs. Popper would play a pretty, descriptive piece called “By the Brook.”
From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater
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.
