1
as in delegate
a person who acts or does business for another
a representative from the car dealership called to ask how we were enjoying the new car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ambassador
a person sent on a mission to represent another
I speak on this matter as a representative of the people of the U.S.
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in example
one of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like
this song is a fairly good representative of the other songs on the album
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in typical
having or showing the qualities associated with the members of a particular group or kind
a representative example of what that talented chef can do with even simple ingredients
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in symbolic
having the function or meaning of an object or figure that stands for something else
a red cross on this map is representative of a hospital or other medical facility
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 representative
Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 9 June 2026
The most recent poll has shown Schlossberg trailing New York state representatives Alex Bores and Micah Lasher in the heavily Democratic district.
—Juliet Pennington, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Balancing datasets by collecting more representative images across age, gender and ethnicity, and frequently updating databases, can improve accuracy and produce fairer results.
—Vijayan Asari, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for representative
Noun
Federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Vance Boelter, the man charged in the 2025 fatal shooting of a Minnesota state representative and her husband, and another attack that left a second lawmaker and his wife wounded, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 9 June 2026
The most recent poll has shown Schlossberg trailing New York state representatives Alex Bores and Micah Lasher in the heavily Democratic district.
—Juliet Pennington, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
Adjective
The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research highlights many Americans’ feeling of unease over the future of its representative government — particularly among young people.
—Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Balancing datasets by collecting more representative images across age, gender and ethnicity, and frequently updating databases, can improve accuracy and produce fairer results.
—Vijayan Asari, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for representative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for representative
Noun
-
The leader sets direction, delegates while retaining accountability, builds teams and achieves results through people.—
Dr. Adil Dalal,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
Malcolm Pein, an English delegate to FIDE who is preparing a possible challenge to Dvorkovich in the next election for president of the organisation, told Reuters there were a significant number of countries that vehemently disagreed with the FIDE decision.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The big buy comes as Carlos is working as an ambassador for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
15 June 2026
-
The award, which is France’s highest military and civil honor, was bestowed upon him by Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, the French ambassador to Thailand.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
There are two dogs, for example, in Bartholomeus van Bassen’s painting of an imagined church interior with the tomb of William the Silent (pictured above, 1620).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
The 1961 legislation establishing the Seashore saved the land from development and gave the public a pristine example of what the popular peninsula looked like before the Pilgrims arrived in Provincetown and before the birth of the nation.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Activities include vacation standards like pools and a beach club along with less typical offerings like horseback riding on the beach, beach shelling by golf cart, and the resort’s Hawk Walk.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
Reporters from England said this is a typical setup for the press covering the England men’s national team.—
Pete Grathoff
June 14,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
But for the food historian, this is a marvelous insight into the symbolic role this particular item took on as the Renaissance gave way to the Reformation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Obviously, calls from Democratic politicians for Boutros’ resignation are merely symbolic.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Pritchard, who served as a deputy under multiple Yolo County supervisors and spent decades as a teacher, has the support of the Yolo County Business PAC, which backs pro-business candidates.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
In fact, sheriff's deputies handcuffed a Black man accused of assaulting another Black man.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Simon Mulongo, a former African Union special envoy to Somalia and the Sahel, sees the same trend and argues the debate is no longer about whether Africa should partner with global powers but on what terms.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
Among other things, the investigation is looking into whether Andrew leaked confidential government information during his time as a British trade envoy.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
In tests, cement paste containing carbon dioxide equal to 1 percent of cement weight achieved an average of 13 percent higher compressive strength after 24 hours than reference samples.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
12 June 2026
-
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Representative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/representative. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
