representative

[rep-ri-zen-tuh-tiv]

noun

1. a person or thing that represents another or others.

2. an agent or deputy.

   a legal representative.

3. a person who represents a constituency or community in a legislative body, especially a member of the U.S. House of Representatives or a lower house in certain state legislatures.

4. a typical example or specimen of a group, quality, or kind.

adjective

1. serving to represent; representing.

   Synonyms: characteristic, typical, exemplary, symbolic

2. standing or acting for another or others.

3. made up of representatives.

   a representative assembly.

4. Government.,  of or relating to a system of governance by chosen representatives, usually elected from among a large group, as in

5. exemplifying a group or kind; typical.

   a representative selection of Elizabethan plays.

6. corresponding to or replacing some other species or the like, as in a different locality.

7. of, relating to, or characteristic of representationalism.

8. pertaining to or of the nature of a mental image or representation.

representative

/ ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv /

noun

1. a person or thing that represents another or others

2. Often shortened to: rep. a person who represents and tries to sell the products or services of a firm, esp a travelling salesman

3. a typical example

4. a person representing a constituency in a deliberative, legislative, or executive body, esp ( capital ) a member of the House of Representatives (the lower house of Congress) See also House of Representatives

5. a rugby player, football player, etc, chosen to represent a province in interprovincial sports

adjective

1. serving to represent; symbolic

2. 1. exemplifying a class or kind; typical

      a representative example of the species

   2. containing or including examples of all the interests, types, etc, in a group

      a representative collection

3. acting as deputy or proxy for another or others

4. acting for or representing a constituency or the whole people in the process of government

   a representative council

5. of, characterized by, or relating to the political principle of representation of the people

   representative government

6. of or relating to a mental picture or representation

Other Word Forms

• representatively adverb
• representativeness noun
• nonrepresentative noun
• nonrepresentatively adverb
• nonrepresentativeness noun
• overrepresentative adjective
• overrepresentatively adverb
• overrepresentativeness noun
• unrepresentative adjective
• unrepresentatively adverb
• unrepresentativeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of representative¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Medieval Latin repraesentātīvus, from repraesentāt(us) “made present” ( representation ) + -īvus -ive

Example Sentences

The Navy said the exercise was handled safely, but the incident alarmed Navy personnel, who said in a routine follow-up report that company representatives had misguided the military.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Resolution Foundation think tank has produced some representative households to demonstrate these different effects:

Read more on BBC

At the time, representatives for the actor strongly denied that he had bought the home, with his then-manager, Evan Lowenstein, claiming that the condo belonged to him and not his client.

Read more on MarketWatch

For stakeholder talks held in February, the report found most of those invited were "industry representatives," and that the commission "might have excluded" other potentially interested parties.

Read more on Barron's

"Every eel we eat comes from the wild, making them vulnerable to overfishing and illegal trade," the EU's representative warned.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• agent 
• commissioner 
• counselor 
• delegate 
• deputy 
• lawyer 
• legislator 
• member 
• senator