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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indicatives
plural
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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:
Such intense scrutiny is indicative of the fashion world’s growing influence on costume design.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The bank’s indicator, which points to extreme bullishness or bearishness in the market, is at 1.4 in August, the level most indicative of a sell since January 2018.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
While America’s education system has problems, these scores are hardly indicative of “failing public schools.”
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The bipartisan effort that led to the Reagan inauguration ceremony is indicative of both the messy history of our democracy as well as its Capitol.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The two eras were not so much in opposition as they were complementary developments, indicative of a single fact: Students at the new middle-class campus lacked deep appreciation of their social advantages.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
The forms Fotobi, Fokorobi, and Fusabi are all given present indicatives in bu.
From Diego Collado's Grammar of the Japanese Language by Richard L. Spear
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.
