expressivity

noun

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

plural expressivities

Definition of expressivity

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

Examples of expressivity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Most of the pieces are for women’s voices, exploring different timbres and expressivity. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, "Satisfying, Bite-Sized Operas," 28 Dec. 2020 Allowing an unusual expressivity for game tech consumers. — Dia Lacina, Wired, "The Evolution of Game Console Design—and American Gamers," 5 Nov. 2020 The sublime 25th Variation, a slow, achingly lyrical rumination with passages that explore bold realms of chromatic harmony, invites a performer to play with brooding expressivity. — Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, "Lang Lang: The Pianist Who Plays Too Muchly," 4 Oct. 2020 The risk of stretching music — especially to the degree that a sense of pulse becomes weak — is that the shape of a phrase, a passage or an entire section becomes entirely lost in a profusion of expressivity. — Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, "Lang Lang: The Pianist Who Plays Too Muchly," 4 Oct. 2020 And his Violin Concerto in D, despite being little more than a showcase for expressivity, is entrenched in the repertoire. — Joshua Barone, New York Times, "How a Forgotten Opera Made a Big Comeback," 3 Jan. 2020 Though vocal beauty and proper technique were central to the Italian tradition, Ms. Freni placed a premium on expressivity and feeling. — New York Times, "Mirella Freni, Matchless Italian Prima Donna, Dies at 84," 9 Feb. 2020 An exception is an untitled plant sketch of remarkable dynamism and expressivity. — BostonGlobe.com, "You're using a browser set to private or incognito mode.," 11 Oct. 2019 In Ennis’s final soliloquy, after Jack has died (almost surely, as Ennis suspects, from a savage attack by men who know the truth about him), Mr. Wuorinen gets the balance between plaintive expressivity and modernist edginess exactly right. — New York Times, "Review: ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ the Opera, Falls Short of Its Potential," 1 June 2018

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.