representative

[ rep-ri-zen-tuh-tiv ]

/ ˌrɛp rɪˈzɛn tə tɪv /

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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

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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. 2023

How to use representative in a sentence

The local churches were grouped into circuits governed representatively by a quarterly meeting.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7|Various
She is not literally, but virtually or officially, representatively or vicariously present wherever her regal authority is swayed.
The Mormon Doctrine of Deity|B. H. Roberts
The Gipsies are all tinkers, either literally, figuratively, or representatively.
A History of the Gipsies|Walter Simson
Really each shuts out every other; ideally, or representatively, it includes every other.
Leibniz's New Essays Concerning the Human Understanding|John Dewey

Under the influence of the mores men act typically, and so representatively, not as individuals but as members of a group.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park

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