instructive

[ in-struhk-tiv ]

/ ɪnˈstrʌk tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR instructive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving to instruct or inform; conveying instruction, knowledge, or information; enlightening.

Grammar. noting a case, as in Finnish, whose distinctive function is to indicate means by which.

Nearby words

Origin of instructive

First recorded in 1605–15; instruct + -ive

Related forms

in·struc·tive·ly, adverbin·struc·tive·ness, nounnon·in·struc·tive, adjectivenon·in·struc·tive·ly, adverb

non·in·struc·tive·ness, nouno·ver·in·struc·tive, adjectiveo·ver·in·struc·tive·ly, adverbo·ver·in·struc·tive·ness, nounun·in·struc·tive, adjectiveun·in·struc·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for instructive

Thomson is one of those gifted writers who make any subject that they choose to pick up lively and instructive.
The Literature of Futbol: 11 Great Books About Soccer|Robert Birnbaum|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But it is also incredibly moving and instructive to watch the inching towards social justice.
How Gay Marriage Was Won: Prop 8’s Destruction Captured In HBO Movie|Tim Teeman|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their lives are falling apart, but they intersect in interesting, tragic, and instructive ways.
Ted Thompson’s Debut Novel Features A 1 Percenter As Its Hero|Stefan Beck|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this sense, the experience of debut author, Winston Churchill, is instructive.
A Picture Says It All Or Does It? Judging an Author by Their Photo|Jennifer Miller|December 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Hagel's stances on Lebanon and Hezbollah are also instructive.
Did Chuck Hagel Cave?|Ali Gharib|January 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One of the most instructive, interesting, and delightful books in our language is Boswell's Life of Johnson.
The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, Vol. 4 (of 4)|Thomas Babington Macaulay
He would sit quietly and read his instructive book and not occasion the absent Winona any anxiety.
The Wrong Twin|Harry Leon Wilson
The study is recommended by Cicero as equally pleasant and instructive.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon
And then he varies the statement of what the higher things are, in a very remarkable and instructive fashion.
Expositions of Holy Scripture: Romans Corinthians (To II Corinthians, Chap. V)|Alexander Maclaren
Here we may draw an instructive parallel between his work and that of the textual critic.
Companion to the Bible|E. P. Barrows

British Dictionary definitions for instructive

instructive

/ (ɪnˈstrʌktɪv) /

adjective

serving to instruct or enlighten; conveying information

Derived Formsinstructively, adverbinstructiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for instructive

instructive

adj.

1610s, from instruct + -ive. Related: Instructively; instructiveness.

instructive

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of instructive

Examples from the Web for instructive

British Dictionary definitions for instructive

instructive

adjective

Word Origin and History for instructive

instructive