indicative
Americanadjective
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showing, signifying, or pointing out; expressive or suggestive (usually followed byof ).
behavior indicative of mental disorder.
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Grammar. noting or pertaining to the mood of the verb used for ordinary objective statements, questions, etc., as the verb plays in John plays football.
noun
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the indicative mood.
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a verb in the indicative.
adjective
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serving as a sign; suggestive
indicative of trouble ahead
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grammar denoting a mood of verbs used chiefly to make statements Compare subjunctive
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of indicative
From the Late Latin word indicātīvus, dating back to 1520–30. See indicate, -ive
Explanation
Use the word indicative when you want to show that something is suggestive or serves as a sign of something. Your willingness to help out with the charity is indicative of your generous nature. The adjective indicative is usually followed by the word of. After being caught in the storm, you protested that the current condition of your hair and clothes were in no way indicative of your normal grooming habits. Instead, you argue, your appearance is indicative of your work ethic, since you braved wind, rain, and sleet to get to work that day. Did you know that some experts say the rise in skirt hemlines is indicative of economic recovery?
Vocabulary lists containing indicative
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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.
See Examples For:
Castlelake’s fifth indicative offer, valuing easyJet at around $7 billion, has received a favorable initial response from the board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
And while higher interest rates certainly could bite, they are also indicative of an economy that is on firmer footing.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Thursday’s price action was indicative of this extreme correlation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
It said requests for information from law enforcement agencies were "a normal part of operations and are not, in themselves, indicative of non-compliance with anti-money laundering requirements or of any wrongdoing".
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
This is perhaps indicative of excess glibness, considering how little I apparently knew.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
The forms Fotobi, Fokorobi, and Fusabi are all given present indicatives in bu.
From Diego Collado's Grammar of the Japanese Language by Spear, Richard L.
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.
