definitions

descriptivist

[ dih-skrip-tuh-vist ]
/ dɪˈskrɪp tə vɪst /
|

noun

a writer, teacher, or supporter of descriptive grammar or descriptive linguistics.

adjective

of, relating to, or based on descriptive grammar or descriptive linguistics.

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Nearby words

descriptive linguistics, descriptive metaphysics, descriptive notation, descriptive statistics, descriptivism, descriptivist, descriptor, descry, desdemona, desecrate, deseed

Origin of descriptivist

First recorded in 1950–55; descriptive + -ist
Related formsde·scrip·tiv·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for descriptivism

British Dictionary definitions for descriptivism

descriptivism

/ (dɪˈskrɪptɪˌvɪzəm) /

noun

ethics the theory that moral utterances have a truth valueCompare prescriptivism, emotivism
Derived Formsdescriptivist, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012