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.
If a user happens to make one comment that is suggestive of exhibiting mental fragility, the AI has to be computationally cautious in suddenly leaping to a conclusion that the person possesses mental fragility. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025 The researchers manually sifted through the AI hits, filtering for properties suggestive of drug-likeness and synthetic feasibility. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Aug. 2025 Two massive inflatable skeletons were blown up and perched on the grass beneath a tree, with one giant skeleton sitting on top of the other plastic skeleton in a suggestive manner, leaving little to the imagination of her followers. Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2025 There was a guidance issued, in March of this year, that’s suggestive of that. Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 16 July 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 31 Aug. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!