1
: of or relating to the emotions
2
: appealing to or expressing emotion
the emotive use of language
3
chiefly British
: causing strong emotions often in support of or against something
… the latest proposal aimed at breaking a long-running deadlock over the emotive issue of whaling …—
Tom Pfeiffer
Tom Pfeiffer
emotively
adverb
Examples of emotive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The group, comprised of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood in tandem with Tom Skinner from Sons of Kemet, has shared the album’s title track, a gently creepy number powered alternately by an acoustic guitar rhythm, swelling strings, and Yorke’s signature emotive vocals.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 13 Nov. 2023
The intimate, emotive track was co-written by Van Etten and Courtney Barnett.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
Appearing with a live band, Smith gave the tracks an emotive, soulful vibe, combining them into one longer performance.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023
In this novel-cum-political polemic, Allende draws emotive parallels between the Nazi atrocities that ruptured Jewish families in Europe and the Trump-era separation of migrant families at the U.S. southern border.
—Isabel Allende, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
As robots have gotten more advanced and more mobile, though, it’s become challenging for robot designers and robot animators to develop emotive behaviors that both take advantage of and are compatible with robotic hardware under real-world constraints.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Oct. 2023
And Olivia brought her own style to it, her incredible voice, her really emotive and succinct delivery.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2023
The demo playing right now showcases a more emotive Alexa who analyzed Van Gogh’s Starry Night in a much more natural and expressive way than the current Alexa.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 21 Sep. 2023
Since entering the dance scene nearly a decade back, Spencer Brown has made his name on progressive house music that’s lush, emotive and pristinely produced.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2023
See More
Spin Staff, SPIN, 13 Nov. 2023
The intimate, emotive track was co-written by Van Etten and Courtney Barnett.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
Appearing with a live band, Smith gave the tracks an emotive, soulful vibe, combining them into one longer performance.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023
In this novel-cum-political polemic, Allende draws emotive parallels between the Nazi atrocities that ruptured Jewish families in Europe and the Trump-era separation of migrant families at the U.S. southern border.
—Isabel Allende, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
As robots have gotten more advanced and more mobile, though, it’s become challenging for robot designers and robot animators to develop emotive behaviors that both take advantage of and are compatible with robotic hardware under real-world constraints.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Oct. 2023
And Olivia brought her own style to it, her incredible voice, her really emotive and succinct delivery.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2023
The demo playing right now showcases a more emotive Alexa who analyzed Van Gogh’s Starry Night in a much more natural and expressive way than the current Alexa.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 21 Sep. 2023
Since entering the dance scene nearly a decade back, Spencer Brown has made his name on progressive house music that’s lush, emotive and pristinely produced.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emotive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near emotive
Cite this Entry
“Emotive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emotive. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share