as in question
an interrogative expression often used to test knowledge
though she phrased it as an interrogative, it was clear that the utterance was more of a command
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quizzical
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of interrogative
James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2019
But Zuckerberg didn’t reply to any hallway interrogatives.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2018
Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The statues felt interrogative, like something or someone was already disappointed in me.
—Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 12 Sep. 2024
The series takes an interrogative approach to its source material, framing Rice’s iconic goth novel and its 1994 film adaptation as the previous version of its story, one in which the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) lies and deceives his interviewer, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 May 2024
Audit your schedule with this interrogative prompt.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Her interrogative installations use collage, painting and light to create off kilter realities laced with social commentary.
—Briana Miller, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023
These law enforcement officers had been trained in all the interrogative techniques that are utilized to elicit a confession.
—Eric Fleischauer The Decatur Daily, al, 2 Dec. 2022
Other interrogative terms typically solicit specific information.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 17 Aug. 2022
Noun
How about: to the huge, throbbing interrogative that is America at the end of 2019.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2019
But Zuckerberg didn’t reply to any hallway interrogatives.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2018
Adjective
Hockney’s paintings and drawings, as well as his later photo collages and digital works, invariably had a playful, exploratory, interrogative relationship with perspective, light, scale, framing, rendering—the basic components of picture-making.
—Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The statues felt interrogative, like something or someone was already disappointed in me.
—Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 12 Sep. 2024
The series takes an interrogative approach to its source material, framing Rice’s iconic goth novel and its 1994 film adaptation as the previous version of its story, one in which the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) lies and deceives his interviewer, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 May 2024
Audit your schedule with this interrogative prompt.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Her interrogative installations use collage, painting and light to create off kilter realities laced with social commentary.
—Briana Miller, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023
These law enforcement officers had been trained in all the interrogative techniques that are utilized to elicit a confession.
—Eric Fleischauer The Decatur Daily, al, 2 Dec. 2022
Other interrogative terms typically solicit specific information.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 17 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for interrogative
Noun
-
Amid an avalanche of questions about Mohamed Salah and the forward’s Liverpool future, Arne Slot gave a fascinating tactical explanation for benching the Egypt international for three straight matches.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
-
That session focused on courthouse-security questions and how Robinson should appear in court going forward.—
Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Carpenter responded with a quizzical frown.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Universities and research institutions face inquisitorial scrutiny.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Shane has an ultra hands-on mother (Christina Chang), who is eager to help market and monetize his boundary-breaking biracial celebrity, as well as a less aggressively intrusive father (Dylan Walsh).—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Nov. 2025
-
To her, the pressure to turn her workspace into a permanent guest room felt unfair and intrusive.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
25 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Interrogative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interrogative. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
