expressive
Americanadjective
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full of expression; meaningful.
an expressive shrug.
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serving to express; indicative of power to express.
a look expressive of gratitude.
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of, relating to, or concerned with expression.
Dance is a highly expressive art.
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Sociology. (of a crowd or group) engaging in nonpurposeful activity of an expressive and often rhythmic nature, as weeping, dancing, or shouting.
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Linguistics. of or relating to forms in which sounds denote a semantic field directly and nonarbitrarily, through sound symbolism based, to some degree, on synesthesia, as observable in onomatopoeia, rhyming and gradational compounds, and emotionally charged words such as hypocoristics and pejoratives.
adjective
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of, involving, or full of expression
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indicative or suggestive (of)
a look expressive of love
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having a particular meaning, feeling, or force; significant
Usage
What are other ways to say expressive?
Expressive gestures are full of meaning; expressive looks effectively convey an attitude or feeling. How is expressive different from synonyms meaningful, significant, and suggestive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Related Words
See eloquent ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
- antiexpressive adjective
- antiexpressively adverb
- antiexpressiveness noun
- expressively adverb
- expressiveness noun
- nonexpressive adjective
- nonexpressively adverb
- nonexpressiveness noun
- overexpressive adjective
- overexpressively adverb
- overexpressiveness noun
- preexpressive adjective
- superexpressive adjective
- superexpressively adverb
- superexpressiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of expressive
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French; express, -ive
Explanation
Big smiles, loud crying, jumping for joy, and making crazy art are all expressive, which is to effectively show feelings. Anything that communicates thoughts or feelings is expressive. Expressive comes from the French word expres for "clear, plain.” It’s easy to read people who are expressive, their emotions are clear. Smiling, laughing, shouting, crying, and pouting are all expressive. So is art, whether it's music, sculpture, or writing. This is a word that applies to things that communicate. If you're not revealing how you feel, you're not being expressive.
Vocabulary lists containing expressive
Other Words for Home
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Writing - Middle School
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Text Structure
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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.
It features 26 paintings, oil sketches and drawings, these last done in Conté crayon, a medium made from powdered graphite and carbon black that allowed deeper blacks and more expressive tonal contrasts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
"This triumph is a result of the completeness of their performance, their high technical skill, the expressive power born from their harmony, and above all the bond of trust between the two," the spokesman said.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
Whether he was laughing, brooding or crumpling into sobs to create one of the most well-known and widely circulated meme GIFs of all time, Van Der Beek’s expressive appeal propelled him to virtually overnight superstardom.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026
Both McAdams and O’Brien move beyond expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
The same full lips, the same thick eyebrows, the same expressive eyes.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
