in·dic·a·tive
in-ˈdi-kə-tiv 
1
: serving to indicate
actions indicative of fear
2
: of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or set of verb forms that represents the denoted act or state as an objective fact
the indicative mood
indicatively
adverb
1
: the indicative mood of a language
2
: a form in the indicative mood
Synonyms
Examples of indicative in a Sentence
Adjective
In “I walked to school,” the verb walked is in the indicative mood.
a wide-eyed look that is indicative of his constant curiosity
Recent Examples on the Web
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
There was even a Gucci logo jacket in red and brown which is indicative of Junior’s fixation on men’s clothing that is a bit flashy.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
Schools should define concerning behavior that may not necessarily be indicative of violence but could warrant intervention, according to a 2018 Secret Service report on averting school violence.
—Yana Kunichoff, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
One of his friends joke about how the shades were indicative of his superstar status.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
But his reaction was indicative of a shift toward extremist views in the government, according to Gayil Talshir, a scholar of political ideologies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2024
Kirui also notes a decrease in both is indicative of population displacement.
—Helena Skinner, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024
Still, the mood on the Geek Squad subreddit—hardly a scientific sample but indicative of sentiment—was glum.
—Eoin Higgins, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The emergence of quarterbacks like Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud, to name a few, is indicative of a new era in football and a glimpse into what the sport is trending toward.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
Brian Lowry, CNN, 28 Apr. 2023
Since then, atmospheric river events and a parade of storms have mostly turned things around, with green and blue colors on Dec. 27, 2021 indicative of normal to above-normal snowpack.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 28 Dec. 2021
Six straight days of temperatures stuck at or below freezing led the city to shut off more than 3,000 meters with usage rates averaging more than 50 gallons per hour, a rate indicative of an account with a broken service line.
—David Showers, Arkansas Online, 20 Dec. 2022
With La Niña's demise, just a small patch of blue indicative of cooler than average sea surface temperatures remains in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2017
Is Noah’s departure indicative of a major change in late-night television?
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2022
That includes on social media, where his posts are part public relations campaign, his relative ease on camera indicative of his many years under bright lights in a boxing ring.
—Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2022
Jones said that taking out a word or phrase indicative of prostitution didn’t change the fact that the overall ad was for prostitution.
—Richard Ruelas, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2021
Sacrificing knowledge of a partner’s appearance, the reasoning goes, is an act indicative of an openhearted and honorable spirit.
—New York Times, 19 July 2021
Adjective
Gray needs to bulk up a bit, and his aggressive nature can be used against him at times, but his premium athleticism, production and football IQ is indicative of an impact player in the pros.
67.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
There was even a Gucci logo jacket in red and brown which is indicative of Junior’s fixation on men’s clothing that is a bit flashy.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
Schools should define concerning behavior that may not necessarily be indicative of violence but could warrant intervention, according to a 2018 Secret Service report on averting school violence.
—Yana Kunichoff, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
One of his friends joke about how the shades were indicative of his superstar status.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
But his reaction was indicative of a shift toward extremist views in the government, according to Gayil Talshir, a scholar of political ideologies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2024
Kirui also notes a decrease in both is indicative of population displacement.
—Helena Skinner, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024
Still, the mood on the Geek Squad subreddit—hardly a scientific sample but indicative of sentiment—was glum.
—Eoin Higgins, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The emergence of quarterbacks like Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud, to name a few, is indicative of a new era in football and a glimpse into what the sport is trending toward.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
Indeed, by giving Wendy a more active part in the heroics indicative of the title change, this movie features more female empowerment all around, dispensing with much of the petty jealousy and girlish mooning over Peter that didn’t age particularly well during the last 70 years.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 28 Apr. 2023
Since then, atmospheric river events and a parade of storms have mostly turned things around, with green and blue colors on Dec. 27, 2021 indicative of normal to above-normal snowpack.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 28 Dec. 2021
Six straight days of temperatures stuck at or below freezing led the city to shut off more than 3,000 meters with usage rates averaging more than 50 gallons per hour, a rate indicative of an account with a broken service line.
—David Showers, Arkansas Online, 20 Dec. 2022
With La Niña's demise, just a small patch of blue indicative of cooler than average sea surface temperatures remains in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2017
Is Noah’s departure indicative of a major change in late-night television?
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2022
That includes on social media, where his posts are part public relations campaign, his relative ease on camera indicative of his many years under bright lights in a boxing ring.
—Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2022
Jones said that taking out a word or phrase indicative of prostitution didn’t change the fact that the overall ad was for prostitution.
—Richard Ruelas, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2021
Sacrificing knowledge of a partner’s appearance, the reasoning goes, is an act indicative of an openhearted and honorable spirit.
—New York Times, 19 July 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'indicative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near indicative
Cite this Entry
“Indicative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indicative. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
indicative
1 of 2 adjective
in·dic·a·tive
in-ˈdik-ət-iv
1
: of, relating to, or being the grammatical mood that represents an act or state as a fact that can be known or proved
in "I am here," the verb "am" is in the indicative mood
2
: indicating something
remarks indicative of jealousy
indicatively
adverb
indicative
2 of 2 noun
: the indicative mood of a verb or a verb in this mood
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