representative

1 of 2

adjective

rep·​re·​sen·​ta·​tive ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv How to pronounce representative (audio)
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 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

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
How did your representative vote on the TikTok bill? USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 Bain feels that female collectors are a force to be reckoned with and that women’s watches in the secondary market are largely representative of design done right in terms of sweet spot sizing and timelessness. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 At one time, some believed that this system might eventually grow into a more representative Russian democracy. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2024 In recent years, researchers have sought to examine rates by collecting data for representative samples of drinking water suppliers. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Our study had 289 participants from the representative sample and 106 participants from the oversample. Nazanin Andalibi, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2024 Worse, the respondents answering by the end of the survey will not be representative of the full population. Nate Cohn, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 This means more women and people of color in images depicting CEOs, even though this may not be representative of corporate reality. Will Knight, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 This analysis is based on a CBS News/YouGov survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,159 U.S. adult residents interviewed between Feb. 28 and March 1, 2024. Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
Mayor Kate Gallego and the council will vote on a new representative for the seat at the 2:30 p.m. public policy meeting on April 9. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2024 But as American frustrations over Israel’s conduct in the war increase, the Biden administration’s rhetoric, at least, has grown tougher, and on Friday, U.S. representatives at the U.N. Security Council sponsored a resolution calling for a pause in the fighting. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 At the Thursday House hearing, a D.C. police union representative warned the agency is struggling with staffing shortages. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 Tesla representatives didn’t respond to requests for comment. Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 22 Mar. 2024 School representatives such as teachers, counselors, club advisers, communication staff and principals can nominate these high school students by 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Melanie Laughman, The Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2024 The Swift camp doesn’t publicly discuss her security needs, nor do most celebrity representatives. Glenn E. Rice, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 The King, 75, recorded a special message as representatives from 56 nations gather in London on the eve of Commonwealth Day. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Two representatives of Turkey's government and main religious body, including Imam Ali Tos, attended the opening ceremony March 2, one of them reciting prayers to God in a melodious voice before the ribbon-cutting. Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'representative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of representative was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near representative

Cite this Entry

“Representative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/representative. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

representative

1 of 2 adjective
rep·​re·​sen·​ta·​tive ˌrep-ri-ˈzent-ət-iv How to pronounce representative (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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