illustrative
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- illustratively adverb
- nonillustrative adjective
- nonillustratively adverb
- overillustrative adjective
- overillustratively adverb
- self-illustrative adjective
- unillustrative adjective
Etymology
Origin of illustrative
First recorded in 1635–45; illustrate + -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.
It's made life harder, but it's illustrative of the respect he's earned.
From BBC
"The image was obviously for illustrative purposes," he said.
From BBC
The two are legally separate entities — but for illustrative purposes, a combined trust fund is figured to provide the actuarial status of the Social Security program as a whole.
From MarketWatch
One illustrative fact: Russia has “a grand total of zero companies in the top 100 list of technology companies as measured by market capitalization.”
The previous horse-riding images had been for illustrative purposes only to show the size, scale and location rather than the final design, says the Cabinet Office.
From BBC
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.
