expression

[ ik-spresh-uhn ]

/ ɪkˈsprɛʃ ən /

noun

the act of expressing or setting forth in words: the free expression of political opinions.

a particular word, phrase, or form of words: old-fashioned expressions.

the manner or form in which a thing is expressed in words; wording; phrasing: delicacy of expression.

the power of expressing in words: joy beyond expression.

indication of feeling, spirit, character, etc., as on the face, in the voice, or in artistic execution: the lyric expression embodied in his poetry.

a look or intonation expressing personal reaction, feeling, etc.: a shocked expression.

the quality or power of expressing an attitude, emotion, etc.: a face that lacks expression; to read with expression.

the act of expressing or representing, as by symbols.

Mathematics. a symbol or a combination of symbols representing a value, relation, or the like.

Linguistics. the stylistic characteristics of an utterance (opposed to meaning).

Linguistics. the system of verbal utterances specific to a language (opposed to content¹).

the act of expressing or pressing out.

Computers. a combination of variables, constants, and functions linked by operation symbols and any required punctuation that describe a rule for calculating a value.

Genetics.

the action of a gene in the production of a protein or a phenotype.
expressivity(def 2).

Nearby words

express rifle, express warranty, expressage, expressed almond oil, expressed skull fracture, expression, expression mark, expression vector, expressionism, expressive, expressive aphasia

Origin of expression

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin expressiōn- (stem of expressiō) a pressing out. See express, -ion

SYNONYMS FOR expression

1 utterance, declaration, assertion, statement.

2 term, idiom. See phrase.

3 language, diction, phraseology.

5 manifestation, sign.

6 aspect, air.

Related forms

ex·pres·sion·al, adjectiveex·pres·sion·less, adjectiveex·pres·sion·less·ly, adverbpre·ex·pres·sion, noun

re·ex·pres·sion, nounsu·per·ex·pres·sion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expressional

The expressional changes of pitch, which constitute the 'melody,' or the 'inflections' of the sentences, play an important part.
Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1|Various
He would have none of a formal and merely decorative beauty—a beauty serving no expressional need of the heart or the imagination.
Edward MacDowell|Lawrence Gilman
The expressional impulse is not satisfied by the resonance which an occasional public, however sympathetic, is able to afford.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park
As a result of this craving the expressional activities lead to artistic production.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park

Yet it was these emotional, expressional women that Annabel Vyner naturally joined.
I, Thou, and the Other One|Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

British Dictionary definitions for expressional

expression

/ (ɪkˈsprɛʃən) /

noun

the act or an instance of transforming ideas into words

a manifestation of an emotion, feeling, etc, without wordstears are an expression of grief

communication of emotion through music, painting, etc

a look on the face that indicates mood or emotiona joyful expression

the choice of words, phrases, syntax, intonation, etc, in communicating

a particular phrase used conventionally to express somethinga dialect expression

the act or process of forcing or squeezing out a liquid

maths a variable, function, or some combination of constants, variables, or functions

genetics the effect of a particular gene on the phenotype

Derived Forms

expressional, adjectiveexpressionless, adjectiveexpressionlessly, adverb

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

Medicine definitions for expressional

expression

[ ĭk-sprĕsh′ən ]

n.

The act of pressing or squeezing out.

The outward manifestation of a mood or disposition by mobility of the facial features; facies.

The phenotype manifested by a genotype under fixed environmental conditions.

expression

noun

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of expression

SYNONYMS FOR expression

Related forms

Examples from the Web for expressional

British Dictionary definitions for expressional

expression

noun

Derived Forms

Medicine definitions for expressional

expression

n.