descriptive
Use Descriptive in a sentence
tɪv adjective
1.
having the quality of describing; characterized by description: a descriptive passage in an essay.
2.
3.
noting, concerned with, or based upon the fact or experience.
4.
characterized by or based upon the classification and description of material in a given field: descriptive botany.
Origin:
1745–55; < Late Latin dēscrīptīvus, equivalent to Latin dēscrīpt(us) (see description) + -īvus -ive
1745–55; < Late Latin dēscrīptīvus, equivalent to Latin dēscrīpt(us) (see description) + -īvus -ive
Related forms
de·scrip·tive·ly, adverb
de·scrip·tive·ness, noun
non·de·scrip·tive, adjective
non·de·scrip·tive·ly, adverb
non·de·scrip·tive·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To descriptive
00:10
Descriptive
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
descriptive (dɪˈskrɪptɪv) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | characterized by or containing description; serving to describe |
| 2. | grammar (of an adjective) serving to describe the referent of the noun modified, as for example the adjective brown as contrasted with my and former |
| 3. | relating to or based upon description or classification rather than explanation or prescription: descriptive linguistics |
| de'scriptively | |
| —adv | |
| de'scriptiveness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
descriptive
1751, from L. descriptivus, from descript-, pp. stem of describere (see description).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
It's a vivid record of life at society's lower depths by a writer who's learning the art of narrative and descriptive prose.
To my knowledge few other languages can compete for the honor of being so descriptive and so capable of inventiveness.
We all know the market is not efficient in a descriptive sense.
Direct and immediate descriptive feedback does more than a single letter or number can.
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