interpretive

American  

[in-tur-pri-tiv] / ɪnˈtɜr prɪ tɪv /

adjective

1. serving to interpret; explanatory.

2. deduced by interpretation.

3. made because of interpretation.

   an interpretive distortion of language.

4. of or relating to those arts that require an intermediary, as a performer, for realization, as in music or theater.

5. offering interpretations, explanations, or guidance, as through lectures, brochures, or films.

   the museum's interpretive center.

---

Other Word Forms

• interpretively
  adverb
• noninterpretive
  adjective
• noninterpretively
  adverb
• noninterpretiveness
  noun
• self-interpretive
  adjective
• uninterpretive
  adjective
• uninterpretively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of interpretive

First recorded in 1670–80; interpret + -ive

Explanation

Use the adjective interpretive to describe things that explain or define, like an interpretive dance that uses movements and gestures to convey the meaning of a piece of music. Interpretive comes from the Latin word interpretari, which means "explain, expound, understand." Inter- means "between" or "among," so you know there will be two or more parts to things that are interpretive. It's a subjective response that involves the thing that's being interpreted and the person doing the interpreting. A reader might have an interpretive response to a book, a guide will give an interpretative description of a painting for a tour group, and so on.

Example Sentences

Interpretive labels seek to shape what people notice in the scene, the connections they make as they move from one diorama to another.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2024

For more weekend walks, try nearby options: A quick, 0.6-mile stroll up Ludlow Falls Interpretive Trail, visiting Shine Tidelands State Park at the Squamish Harbor’s entrance or picnicking and clamming at Wolfe Property State Park.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2023

Interpretive signs and a central public access path enhanced viewing and provided information about the experiment in urban beach restoration.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023

Any future vandalism would be investigated by federal law enforcement rather than local police, according to Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi.

From Reuters • Jul. 25, 2023

A half hour later they drove away from the Interpretive Center.

From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III

Related Words

• analytical
• informative