demonstrative

1 of 2

adjective

de·​mon·​stra·​tive di-ˈmän(t)-strə-tiv How to pronounce demonstrative (audio)
1
a
: demonstrating as real or true
b
: characterized or established by demonstration
2
grammar : pointing out the one referred to and distinguishing it from others of the same class (as in that in "that house")
demonstrative pronouns
demonstrative adjectives
3
a
: marked by display of feeling
made a demonstrative gesture
b
: inclined to display feelings openly
a demonstrative preacher
demonstratively adverb
demonstrativeness noun

demonstrative

2 of 2

noun

grammar
: a word or morpheme pointing out the one referred to and distinguishing it from others of the same class : a demonstrative (see demonstrative entry 1 sense 2) word or morpheme
the demonstratives "this," "that," "these," and "those"

Examples of demonstrative in a Sentence

Adjective In the phrase “this is my hat,” the word “this” is a demonstrative pronoun. In the phrase “give me that book,” the word “that” is a demonstrative adjective.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Granite Hills High School’s Collin Guffey doesn’t do anything that demonstrative. Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2024 Last summer, the swift and demonstrative downing of a jet carrying Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary commander who led a mutiny against Russia’s military leadership, sent a chilling signal to any opponents of the Kremlin’s current course. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 Philly sits with demonstrative defiance, anchoring his beagle butt to the pavement, and gives you a stubborn stare. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2024 In reading the four memoirs in succession, silence becomes the undercurrent that tugs at a voluble, demonstrative family brand. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2023 How To Solve Today’s Word The Hint: Today’s Wordle is a demonstrative pronoun. Erik Kain, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 Some Russia watchers regarded Putin’s stance as revenge for Netanyahu’s lack of demonstrative support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and also as a sign of a grudge against Israel for giving refuge to thousands of Russians who have fled Putin’s government in the past two years. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2023 Infants’ ability to receive and send direct gazes is thought to be demonstrative of how children process social information. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2023 The story’s romance is warmly inviting, and DiCaprio and Gladstone work beautifully together, their different performance styles — Ernest is physically demonstrative while Mollie is reserved — creating a contrapuntal whole. Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Noun
Johnny and Ponyboy are also unusually physical demonstrative. Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demonstrative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English demonstratyf "based on logic, pointing out (of a pronoun)," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French demonstratif, borrowed from Late Latin dēmonstrātīvus "pointing out (of a pronoun), able to prove" (Latin, "displaying—in rhetoric"), from Latin dēmonstrātus, past participle of dēmonstrāre "to indicate, show, demonstrate" + -īvus -ive

Noun

Middle English demonstratyf, borrowed from Late Latin dēmonstrātīvum, noun derivative from neuter of dēmonstrātīvus demonstrative entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of demonstrative was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near demonstrative

Cite this Entry

“Demonstrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demonstrative. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

demonstrative

1 of 2 adjective
de·​mon·​stra·​tive di-ˈmän(t)-strət-iv How to pronounce demonstrative (audio)
1
: characterized or established by demonstration
demonstrative reasoning
2
: indicating the one referred to and pointing it out from others of the same kind
the demonstrative pronoun "this" in "this is my hat"
the demonstrative adjective "that" in "that book"
3
: showing feeling freely
a demonstrative greeting
demonstratively adverb

demonstrative

2 of 2 noun
: a demonstrative word
especially : a demonstrative pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on demonstrative

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