descriptor

noun

de·​scrip·​tor di-ˈskrip-tər 

: something (such as a word or characteristic feature) that serves to describe or identify

especially : a word or phrase (such as an index term) used to identify an item (such as a subject or document) in an information retrieval system

Examples of descriptor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Residents have long used directional descriptors and whimsical nicknames for their houses instead of addresses. —Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026

This comprehensive study provides a materials-by-design playbook for turning the most abundant anion in the ocean—chloride—from a poison into a performance descriptor, paving the way for truly seawater-robust energy storage and conversion devices, according to a press release. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026

On the coattails of those dreary descriptors came an optimistic note. —Mark Davis, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026

This is a man who, throughout his long public and political life, has seldom been associated with such descriptors as modest, prudent or vulnerable. —Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see describe

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing descriptor

• self-descriptor