as in informative
providing useful information or knowledge
an instructive demonstration of the proper way to pack a suitcase so your clothes don't arrive in a mess
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Recent Examples of instructive
History of great cities and wars is instructive here.
—
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 8 Apr. 2026
Let’s acknowledge Palestine’s instructive past for answers.
—Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
The radiologist’s case is the most instructive example on offer.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
However much the young Hatmaker had in common with Waters, though, their lives seem likely to trace two very different arcs—ones instructive about both American Christianity and the wider debate over what a good life looks like for women.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instructive
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 8 Apr. 2026
Let’s acknowledge Palestine’s instructive past for answers.
—Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
The radiologist’s case is the most instructive example on offer.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
However much the young Hatmaker had in common with Waters, though, their lives seem likely to trace two very different arcs—ones instructive about both American Christianity and the wider debate over what a good life looks like for women.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instructive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instructive
Adjective
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The colors are informative of their composition.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Joking aside, the importance of remaining calm, collected and informative — as hard as that can be — is key when describing a situation to 911 dispatchers.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The other, extending protections to educational institutions, was vetoed.—
Elliot Cosgrove,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
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The information provided is for educational purposes and should not be construed as financial, investment or trading advice.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps most consequential in this move will be the expansion of the states’ authority and responsibility for educative quality within their jurisdictions.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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While apples-to-apples comparisons aren’t possible, a look at the streaming businesses is educative for identifying longer-term trends.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The new contract also included compensation for eight additional days added to the academic calendar in fall 2024 to make up for lost days from the 2022 teachers strike, even though the academic calendar has gone back to the pre-2024 number of instructional days.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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After working in special education for almost two decades, Lomblot retired in June 2023 from her position as an instructional assistant with the Abraxas adult transition program.—
Amy Stark Shireman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Links to informational slides and in some cases surveys are attached.—
Maria Benevento,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
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Brief flashbacks to Mary’s earlier concerts are merely informational; another flashback, to a séance at which Mary yielded to self-harming mysticism, is far more consequential, leading to violence in Sam’s studio.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Watching Irina Morozova use her own tooth to have a few illuminating chats with her fellow inmates via Morse code, I was powerfully reminded of the gulf between her, a woman made of adamantium, and me, a soft little house cat in human form.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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And somehow all these conversations have been equally illuminating.—
Brittany Delay,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instructive. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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