Main Entry: de·scrip·tive

Pronunciation: \di-ˈskrip-tiv\

Function: adjective

Date: 1723

1 : serving to describe <a descriptive account>
2 a : referring to, constituting, or grounded in matters of observation or experience <the descriptive basis of science> b : factually grounded or informative rather than normative, prescriptive, or emotive <descriptive cultural studies>
3 of a modifier a : expressing the quality, kind, or condition of what is denoted by the modified term <hot in “hot water” is a descriptive adjective> b : nonrestrictive
4 : of, relating to, or dealing with the structure of a language at a particular time usually with exclusion of historical and comparative data <descriptive linguistics>

— de·scrip·tive·ly adverb

— de·scrip·tive·ness noun