expressivity

noun ex·pres·siv·i·ty \ ˌek-ˌspre-ˈsi-və-tē \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of expressivity

plural expressivities

1 : the relative capacity of a gene to affect the phenotype of the organism of which it is a part

2 : the quality of being expressive

Recent Examples of expressivity from the Web

Barnatan’s playing bordered on being too precious for my tastes, a fey hyper-expressivity that traded concern for Schubert’s architecture with Barnatan’s delight in magnifying the details.

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "In his San Diego debut, tenor Robin Tritschler captivates audience in La Jolla Music Society concert," 15 Apr. 2018
Playing a Chopin sonata by hitting every key equally hard will yield a dramatically different result from allowing expressivity and dynamics to influence decisions on how loudly or softly a note should be played.

— paul tullis, Town & Country, "Is AI the Future of Good Taste?," 6 Feb. 2018
Familiarity comes when an artist makes the emotional commitment of expressivity, and that was sometimes missing.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Met soprano Angela Meade gives Philly fans a thrilling peek ahead in her recital debut here," 8 Jan. 2018
Clinton is not known for the expressivity of her voice, but of course no other narrator would have sufficed.

— katy waldman, Slate Magazine, "Clinton is not known for the expressivity of her voice. But the What Happened audiobook is surprisingly lovely.," 13 Sep. 2017
And that was a shame, because Bella Voce (arrayed in ever-shifting configurations across the visually handsome chancel) sang with exceptional musicality, expressivity and fervor, with solo vocal contributions and instrumental work to match.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Lincoln Center chamber society, Bella Voce off to strong season starts," 25 Oct. 2017
But aside from his singing voice, virtually unchanged in its timbre and expressivity, his latest album, Sky Trails (out Sept. 29), draws little from that well.

— bob doerschuk, USA TODAY, "At 76, musician David Crosby lets introspective 'Sky Trails' take him to another level," 20 Sep. 2017
Reeves’s admirably minimalist expressivity and air of distraction, as if he is perpetually tuned into a higher frequency, lends Wick a deceptive semblance of substance that the script doesn’t define and the action doesn’t dramatize.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "“John Wick: Chapter 2” Is Just a Trailer for Chapter 3," 10 Feb. 2017
But accompanied by his longtime pianist, Ivari Ilja, Mr. Hvorostovsky sang with his trademark smoky colorings and affecting expressivity, including several bleakly poignant Russian songs that deal with death, grief and longing.

— anthony tommasini, zachary woolfe, corinna da fonseca-wollheim, david allen and james r. oestreich, New York Times, "The Best Classical Music of 2016," 7 Dec. 2016

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

First Known Use of expressivity

1934

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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expressivity

noun ex·pres·siv·i·ty \ ˌek-ˌspres-ˈiv-ət-ē \

medical Definition of expressivity

plural expressivities

: the relative capacity of a gene to affect the phenotype of the organism of which it is a part — compare penetrance

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