representative

[ rep-ri-zen-tuh-tiv ]

/ ˌrɛp rɪˈzɛn tə tɪv /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: representative / representatives on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person or thing that represents another or others.

an agent or deputy: a legal representative.

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.

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

adjective

serving to represent; representing.

standing or acting for another or others.

made up of representatives: a representative assembly.

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

exemplifying a group or kind; typical: a representative selection of Elizabethan plays.

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

of, relating to, or characteristic of representationalism.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR representative

5 symbolic, exemplary, typical, characteristic.

See synonyms for representative on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of representative

1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) <Medieval Latin repraesentātīvus, equivalent to repraesentāt(us) (see representation) + -īvus-ive

OTHER WORDS FROM representative

rep·re·sent·a·tive·ly, adverbrep·re·sent·a·tive·ness, nounnon·rep·re·sent·a·tive, noun, adjectivenon·rep·re·sent·a·tive·ly, adverb

non·rep·re·sent·a·tive·ness, nouno·ver·rep·re·sent·a·tive, adjectiveo·ver·rep·re·sent·a·tive·ly, adverbo·ver·rep·re·sent·a·tive·ness, nounun·rep·re·sent·a·tive, adjectiveun·rep·re·sent·a·tive·ly, adverbun·rep·re·sent·a·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use representative in a sentence

A few years back, designer John Galliano was fined by the government for sharing just such anti-semitic sentiments in public.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Not actual CIA agents, but U.S. government personnel who have worked very closely with the CIA, and who are fans of the show.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I think the response of the French government so far has been pretty appropriate in that regard.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The United States government might not release that information for years, if ever.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Duke was a state representative whose neo-Nazi alliances were disgorged in media reports during his run for governor in 1991.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Dockier, a prominent leader of the Levelers, in the times of the English commonwealth, was shot by order of the government.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
He was the most distinguished representative of the English school of composition, and was knighted in 1842.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The patriarchal decree of the government was a good deal of a joke on the plains, anyway—except when you were caught defying it!
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
History gives them scant notice, and the Federal government has failed to reward them as they deserve.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
By far the most important of the conjugate sulphates and representative of the group is potassium indoxyl sulphate.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for representative

representative

/ (ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv) /

noun

a person or thing that represents another or others

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

a typical example

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

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

adjective

serving to represent; symbolic

exemplifying a class or kind; typicala representative example of the species
containing or including examples of all the interests, types, etc, in a groupa representative collection

acting as deputy or proxy for another or others

acting for or representing a constituency or the whole people in the process of governmenta representative council

of, characterized by, or relating to the political principle of representation of the peoplerepresentative government

of or relating to a mental picture or representation

Derived forms of representative

representatively, adverbrepresentativeness, 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

representative

OTHER WORDS FOR representative

Origin of representative

OTHER WORDS FROM representative

Words related to representative

How to use representative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for representative

Derived forms of representative