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
Though larded with audacious jokes and sight gags, the play had a strong emotive core.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Artists like Sam Barber, Mae Estes, Dylan Gossett and Wyatt Flores are creating music that is emotional and emotive, and speaks to real-life experiences that fans want to hear and devour right now.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
The truth that standing behind Israel’s war means standing on the broken bodies of Palestinians threatens a hugely emotive fantasy.
—Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024
The Baltimore singer, who shared her emotional connection to McEntire in her blind audition, grounded the song with her emotive tone and heartfelt charisma.
—USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
The song is dedicated to the memory of Residente’s deceased friend and Cruz’s voice rings through as a recurring narrator, touching on emotive themes of life and time.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024
The lengthy flight duration, emotive movie plotlines, and a certain amount of anonymity is a sure-fire way to open the floodgates.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024
The 22-year-old’s warm tone and emotive belting earned her a swift four-chair turn from the coaches.
—USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Few other, if any, athletes will be honing their craft to the emotive sounds of jazz music ahead of this year’s Olympics, but that’s part of what makes breaking such an intriguing addition.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Artists like Sam Barber, Mae Estes, Dylan Gossett and Wyatt Flores are creating music that is emotional and emotive, and speaks to real-life experiences that fans want to hear and devour right now.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
The truth that standing behind Israel’s war means standing on the broken bodies of Palestinians threatens a hugely emotive fantasy.
—Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024
The Baltimore singer, who shared her emotional connection to McEntire in her blind audition, grounded the song with her emotive tone and heartfelt charisma.
—USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
The song is dedicated to the memory of Residente’s deceased friend and Cruz’s voice rings through as a recurring narrator, touching on emotive themes of life and time.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024
The lengthy flight duration, emotive movie plotlines, and a certain amount of anonymity is a sure-fire way to open the floodgates.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024
The 22-year-old’s warm tone and emotive belting earned her a swift four-chair turn from the coaches.
—USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Few other, if any, athletes will be honing their craft to the emotive sounds of jazz music ahead of this year’s Olympics, but that’s part of what makes breaking such an intriguing addition.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
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 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share