suggestive

adjective

sug·​ges·​tive səg-ˈje-stiv How to pronounce suggestive (audio)
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 eraLloyd Morris
c
: stirring mental associations : evocative
2
: suggesting or tending to suggest something improper or indecent : risqué
suggestively adverb
suggestiveness noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sabrina Carpenter is barking back at the backlash surrounding her suggestive album cover. Jay Stahl, USA Today, 25 June 2025 The actor claimed that Perry began texting him over the next few months, making suggestive advances and promising to help Dixon find a job. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 18 June 2025 True to the Housefull world, Housefull 5 is a no-brainer, full of slapstick comedy, vulgar and suggestive dialogues and mostly unfunny jokes. Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 The animation in the video draws one’s consciousness in like a vortex, and the three sweets that make up the name are suggestive of some sort of code word. Billboard Japan, Billboard, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for suggestive

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of suggestive was in 1631

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Suggestive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suggestive. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

suggestive

adjective
sug·​ges·​tive sə(g)-ˈjes-tiv How to pronounce suggestive (audio)
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 How to pronounce suggestive (audio)
1
: serving to indicate
a butterfly-shaped red rash … is highly suggestive of the diseaseS. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on suggestive

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