interrogative

American  

[in-tuh-rog-uh-tiv] / ˌɪn təˈrɒg ə tɪv /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or conveying a question.

2. Grammar. forming, constituting, or used in or to form a question.

   an interrogative pronoun, suffix, particle, or sentence.

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noun

1. Grammar. an interrogative word, element, or construction, as who? and what?

interrogative British  

/ ˌɪntəˈrɒɡətɪv /

adjective

1. asking or having the nature of a question

2. denoting a form or construction used in asking a question

3. denoting or belonging to a class of words, such as which and whom, that are determiners, adjectives, or pronouns and serve to question which individual referent or referents are intended Compare demonstrative relative

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noun

1. an interrogative word, phrase, sentence, or construction

2. a question mark

Other Word Forms

• interrogatively adverb
• uninterrogative adjective
• uninterrogatively adverb

Etymology

Origin of interrogative

From the Late Latin word interrogātīvus, dating back to 1510–20. See interrogate, -ive

Explanation

Interrogative describes something questioning or that asks a question — like the interrogative tone of a cop grilling a suspect. It’s likely you first met the word interrogative in elementary school along with its pals — declaratory, exclamatory, and imperative. It can be an adjective or noun, but it always has to do with questions or being questioning. An interrogative sentence is one like "What time is it?" If your voice goes up at the end of a sentence because you're seeking information, your tone is interrogative. If you keep asking question after question, you've being extremely interrogative.

Example Sentences

Over the holiday season, there were online pile-ons galore, with straight women repeatedly taking gay critics of the show to task over their negative or merely interrogative opinions of the series.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2026

At charity events, auctioneers insert interrogative phrases, such as “would you give?,” an appeal to the bidders’ generosity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

Variety wrote: The film “feels like a miracle and an interrogative act of defiance.”

From New York Times • Sep. 25, 2022

Had Cooper approached this question with the same interrogative spirit with which she approached her own narrative assumptions, the book would have felt more complete.

From Washington Post • Nov. 14, 2020

And so, instead of saying Ashoke’s name, she utters the interrogative that has come to replace it, which translates roughly as “Are you listening to me?”

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri