suggestive

adjective

sug·​ges·​tive səg-ˈje-stiv 

sə-ˈje-

1

a

: giving a suggestion : indicative

suggestive of a past era

b

: full of suggestions : stimulating thought

… provided a suggestive … commentary on the era …

—Lloyd Morris

c

: stirring mental associations : evocative

2

: suggesting or tending to suggest something improper or indecent : risqué

suggestively adverb

suggestiveness noun

Synonyms of suggestive

• spicy
• vulgar
• blue
• lewd

Examples of suggestive in a Sentence

making unwelcome suggestive remarks to a subordinate will be regarded as sexual harassment

a haunting and suggestive song about a long-lost love

Recent Examples on the Web

Our guidance to them was to be helpful to clients, suggestive as opposed to pushy and to allow consumers plenty of room to experiment/sample. —Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 8 May 2026

But, in historic gold-rush regions, prospectors use it to identify disturbances in the landscape that are suggestive of former mining operations, in the hope of finding overlooked stores. —Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

For another example of the interpretive and suggestive quality of verbs, let’s look at Patricia Highsmith’s The Two Faces of January. —Literary Hub, 1 May 2026

Proofs are littered with suggestive ellipses. —Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for suggestive

• congestive
• digestive
• festive
• restive

Kids Definition

suggestive

adjective

sug·​ges·​tive sə(g)-ˈjes-tiv 

1

a

: giving a suggestion : indicative

suggestive of a past era

b

: full of suggestions : stimulating thought

c

: stirring mental associations

2

: suggesting something improper or indecent

suggestively adverb

suggestiveness noun

Medical Definition

suggestive

adjective

sug·​ges·​tive sə(g)-ˈjes-tiv 

1

: serving to indicate

a butterfly-shaped red rash … is highly suggestive of the disease

—S. E. Goldfinger et al.

2

: tending to act like or have the effect of suggestion

Legal Definition

suggestive

adjective

sug·​ges·​tive

: giving a suggestion or making a hint: as

a

: being a trademark, trade dress, trade name, or service mark that requires the consumer to use thought and imagination to perceive the nature of the product or service

Note: Suggestive marks are entitled to trademark protection without proof of secondary meaning.

b

: relating to or being a lineup that in some way suggests to the witness which member of the lineup is in fact the defendant