representative
Americannoun
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a person or thing that represents another or others.
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an agent or deputy.
a legal representative.
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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.
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a typical example or specimen of a group, quality, or kind.
adjective
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serving to represent; representing.
- Synonyms:
- characteristic, typical, exemplary, symbolic
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standing or acting for another or others.
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made up of representatives.
a representative assembly.
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Government. of or relating to a system of governance by chosen representatives, usually elected from among a large group, as in
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exemplifying a group or kind; typical.
a representative selection of Elizabethan plays.
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corresponding to or replacing some other species or the like, as in a different locality.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of representationalism.
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pertaining to or of the nature of a mental image or representation.
noun
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a person or thing that represents another or others
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Often shortened to: rep. a person who represents and tries to sell the products or services of a firm, esp a travelling salesman
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a typical example
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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
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a rugby player, football player, etc, chosen to represent a province in interprovincial sports
adjective
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serving to represent; symbolic
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exemplifying a class or kind; typical
a representative example of the species
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containing or including examples of all the interests, types, etc, in a group
a representative collection
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acting as deputy or proxy for another or others
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acting for or representing a constituency or the whole people in the process of government
a representative council
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of, characterized by, or relating to the political principle of representation of the people
representative government
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of or relating to a mental picture or representation
Other Word Forms
- nonrepresentative noun
- nonrepresentatively adverb
- nonrepresentativeness noun
- overrepresentative adjective
- overrepresentatively adverb
- overrepresentativeness noun
- representatively adverb
- representativeness noun
- unrepresentative adjective
- unrepresentatively adverb
- unrepresentativeness noun
Etymology
Origin of representative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Medieval Latin repraesentātīvus, from repraesentāt(us) “made present” ( representation ) + -īvus -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A Walmart representative told MarketWatch the membership-fee increase would allow Sam’s Club to invest in new products, as well as its Member’s Mark store brand.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
Oregon’s Worker Fraud Protection Act makes it illegal to “falsely impersonate” a union representative and imposes fines for infractions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
The Women's Super League is guaranteed at least one representative in the last four, with defending champions Arsenal taking on Chelsea in a mouth-watering contest.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
This study is the first to track long-term trends in salt substitute use across a nationally representative group of U.S. adults.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
His fear was that a State Department representative might show up at the airport with a court order and try to have him extradited back to the United States to stand trial.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
