instructive

adjective

in·​struc·​tive in-ˈstrək-tiv 

: carrying a lesson : enlightening

instructively adverb

instructiveness noun

Synonyms

• informative
• educational
• educative
• instructional
• informational
• illuminating

Examples of instructive in a Sentence

an interesting and instructive lesson

an instructive demonstration of the proper way to pack a suitcase so your clothes don't arrive in a mess

Recent Examples on the Web

The timeline of Isaacman's nomination for NASA administrator is instructive. —ArsTechnica, 26 June 2025

Here, the experience of Hefei, a Chinese city that has become a manufacturing center for electric vehicles—akin to a twenty-first-century Detroit—might be instructive. —Damien Ma, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025

Notable Reading the very first article — way back in 2021! — about Tools for Humanity and its Orb was instructive. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 June 2025

The contrast with regulatory approaches elsewhere is instructive. —Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for instructive

• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• destructive
• inductive
• obstructive
• productive
• reductive
• seductive
• counterproductive
• photoconductive

Kids Definition

instructive

adjective

in·​struc·​tive in-ˈstrək-tiv 

: giving knowledge : helping to instruct or inform

an instructive experience

instructively adverb