expressivity

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

|Updated on: 12 Jun 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

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
The foursome has an amiable mix of technical precision, expressivity, and an ability to turn on a dime that beautifully animates Shaw’s prismatic tendencies.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Calidore String Quartet makes gorgeous Philadelphia debut in Caroline Shaw works," 14 May 2018
Heider’s programs always were astutely assembled, and her guided tour of some of Bella Voce’s great successes brought telling contrasts of style and period that felt all of a piece because the performances were of such high quality and expressivity.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Bella Voce looks back on its storied past, Bach Week projects spirit of its namesake forward," 29 Apr. 2018
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

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.