Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

distinctive

 - 2 dictionary results

dis⋅tinc⋅tive

[di-stingk-tiv]
–adjective
1. serving to distinguish; characteristic; distinguishing: the distinctive stripes of the zebra.
2. having a special quality, style, attractiveness, etc.; notable.

Origin:
1575–85; < ML distinctīvus, equiv. to L distinct(us) distinct + -īvus -ive


dis⋅tinc⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
dis⋅tinc⋅tive⋅ness, noun


1. individual.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To distinctive
dis·tinc·tive   (dĭ-stĭngk'tĭv)   
adj.  
  1. Serving to identify; distinguishing: distinctive tribal tattoos. See Usage Note at distinct.

  2. Characteristic or typical: "Jerusalem has a distinctive Middle East flavor" (Curtis Wilkie).

  3. Linguistics Phonemically relevant and capable of conveying a difference in meaning, as nasalization in the initial sound of mat versus bat.

dis·tinc'tive·ly adv., dis·tinc'tive·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see distinctive on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: