expressive
[ ik-spres-iv ]
/ ɪkˈsprɛs ɪv /
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adjective
full of expression; meaningful: an expressive shrug.
serving to express; indicative of power to express: a look expressive of gratitude.
of, relating to, or concerned with expression: Dance is a highly expressive art.
Sociology. (of a crowd or group) engaging in nonpurposeful activity of an expressive and often rhythmic nature, as weeping, dancing, or shouting.Compare active (def. 15), orgiastic (def. 3).
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.
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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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Origin of expressive
synonym study for expressive
See eloquent.
OTHER WORDS FROM expressive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use expressive in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for expressive
expressive
/ (ɪkˈsprɛsɪv) /
adjective
of, involving, or full of expression
(postpositive foll by of) indicative or suggestive (of)a look expressive of love
having a particular meaning, feeling, or force; significant
Derived forms of expressive
expressively, adverbexpressiveness, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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