descriptive

adjective

de·scrip·tive | \ di-ˈskrip-tiv

Definition of descriptive

1 : presenting observations about the characteristics of someone or something : serving to describe a descriptive account

2a : 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

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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

The popular annual series began about a dozen years ago under the name New Ballet Fest; the name was changed five years ago be more descriptive. — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, "‘Ballet Under the Stars’ bringing its outdoor show to five Connecticut cities this summer," 2 July 2019 Such descriptive wonders, so common that nearly every one of Russell’s long paragraphs contains a few, do not always easily recede into the surrounding story. — Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books, "True Mirages," 6 June 2019 However, the information must be economically related to dialogue pauses, which requires tight descriptive passages. — Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, "Voice Actor on How Ron Howard's Pavarotti Doc is a "Gift" to the Blind Community," 7 June 2019 Though Ingres’s contemporaries were spot on in noting the painting’s intensity, their criticisms would have been more appropriate to a conventional portrait, where descriptive detail takes a back seat to the expression of character. — Benjamin Shull, WSJ, "Portraiture as Propaganda," 17 Aug. 2018 Their important and timely book reminds us that ethics at its best challenges rather than justifies the status quo, which is why a purely descriptive science of ethics is never enough. — Julian Baggini, WSJ, "‘Science and the Good’ Review: The Anatomy of Morality," 15 Jan. 2019 Be as descriptive as possible when selling an item. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "8 Things to Know Before You Buy or Sell on eBay," 14 Dec. 2018 The Lands’ End catalog has reverted to its utilitarian style with product shots and descriptive text. — Suzanne Kapner, WSJ, "Elastic Waistbands Are Back in Fashion at Lands’ End," 12 Apr. 2018 The show is a terrifically important addition to our art historical knowledge of the era, as lively and absorbing as its descriptive but rather dry title is not. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "Out of the shadows and into the light: 'Chiaroscuro Woodcut' is a sleeper hit at LACMA," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'descriptive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.