descriptive

adjective

de·​scrip·​tive di-ˈskrip-tiv 

1

: presenting observations about the characteristics of someone or something : 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

linguistics : 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

descriptively adverb

descriptiveness noun

Examples of descriptive in a Sentence

She gave a descriptive account of the journey.

a talent for descriptive writing

a poem full of descriptive detail

The black cat was given the descriptive name “Midnight.”

The book is a descriptive grammar.

Recent Examples on the Web

These sentences are part of a four-plus-page descriptive riff, one of many passages that lend the novel a teeming, avid opacity. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 July 2026

All the trappings of rage—the non-descriptive mentions of drug intake, the unspecified sadness, the shock-rock innuendos—are unshakeable. — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026

Many descriptive phrases recur no matter who is speaking, which makes the author’s prose feel like a fire hose aimed at the reader. — Carolyn Kellogg, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

That descriptive layer of metadata is what makes any record findable and safe to use. — Michael Leone, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see describe

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing descriptive

• self-descriptive

Rhymes for descriptive

• ascriptive
• prescriptive

Kids Definition

descriptive

adjective

de·​scrip·​tive di-ˈskrip-tiv 

: serving to describe

a descriptive account

a descriptive adjective

descriptively adverb

descriptiveness noun