representative

1 of 2

adjective

rep·​re·​sen·​ta·​tive ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

1

: serving to represent

2

a

: standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority

b

: of, based on, or constituting a government in which the many are represented by persons chosen from among them usually by election

3

: serving as a typical or characteristic example

a representative moviegoer

4

: of or relating to representation or representationalism

representatively adverb

representativeness noun

representativity

ˌre-pri-ˌzen-tə-ˈti-və-tē 

noun

representative

2 of 2

noun

1

: one that represents another or others: such as

a(1)

: one that represents a constituency as a member of a legislative body

(2)

: a member of the house of representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature

b

: one that represents another as agent, deputy, substitute, or delegate usually being invested with the authority of the principal

c

: one that represents a business organization

d

: one that represents another as successor or heir

2

: a typical example of a group, class, or quality : specimen

Synonyms

Adjective

• archetypal
• archetypical
• average
• characteristic
• normal
• regular
• standard
• true
• typical

Noun

• agent
• assignee
• attorney
• commissary
• delegate
• deputy
• envoy
• factor
• minister
• procurator
• proxy
• rep

Examples of representative in a Sentence

Adjective

The paintings are representative of English art in the early 19th century.

The students chosen for the survey are a fairly representative sample of college students from across the U.S.

Noun

Do you know who your representatives are?

The bill was introduced by Representative Smith.

a representative of her age group

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

According to analytics firm Big Lake Data, which analyzed a representative sample of thousands of Uber trips in Massachusetts, in Q1 2024, Uber’s average driver utilization rate was 70%. —Len Sherman, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024

The sample size is small and is not intended to be representative. —Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 3 Sep. 2024

Noun

The apartment manager said a representative from Schindler Elevator Corp. remained on site for several hours after the part was installed Friday to ensure the elevator was working properly. —David Showers, arkansasonline.com, 8 Sep. 2024

Goudreau had contacts in the U.S. government and signed a contract with representatives of the Venezuelan opposition. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

representative

1 of 2 adjective

rep·​re·​sen·​ta·​tive ˌrep-ri-ˈzent-ət-iv 

1

: serving to represent

a painting representative of a battle

2

: standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority

3

: of, based upon, or being a government in which the people are represented by persons chosen from among them usually by election

4

: serving as a typical example of the thing mentioned

a representative athlete

representatively adverb

representativeness noun

representative

2 of 2 noun

1

: a typical example of a group, class, or quality

2

: one that represents another or others : delegate

especially : a member of the house of representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature

Legal Definition

representative

1 of 2 adjective

rep·​re·​sen·​ta·​tive

1

: serving to represent

2

a

: standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority

an agent acting in a representative capacity

b

: of, based on, or constituting a government in which the people are represented by individuals chosen from among them usually by election

3

: of or relating to representation

representative

2 of 2 noun

: one that represents another or others in a special capacity: as

a

: one that represents a constituency as a member of a legislative or other governing body

specifically : a member of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature

b

: one that represents another as agent, deputy, substitute, or delegate and that usually is invested with the authority of the principal

c

: one that represents or stands in the place of a deceased person : personal representative

d

: one that represents another as successor or heir

e

: one named as the plaintiff or defendant in a class action to litigate on behalf of the class