descriptive
adjective
de·scrip·tive
di-ˈskrip-tiv 
1
: presenting observations about the characteristics of someone or something : serving to describe
a descriptive account
2
a
: referring to, constituting, or grounded in matters of observation or experience
the descriptive basis of science
b
: factually grounded or informative rather than normative, prescriptive, or emotive
descriptive cultural studies
3
of a modifier
a
: expressing the quality, kind, or condition of what is denoted by the modified term
hot in "hot water" is a descriptive adjective
b
4
linguistics
: of, relating to, or dealing with the structure of a language at a particular time usually with exclusion of historical and comparative data
descriptive linguistics
descriptively
adverb
descriptiveness
noun
Examples of descriptive in a Sentence
She gave a descriptive account of the journey.
a talent for descriptive writing
a poem full of descriptive detail
The black cat was given the descriptive name “Midnight.”
The book is a descriptive grammar.
Recent Examples on the Web
Add descriptive subheadings to break up text logically.
—
Guy Leon Sheetrit, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
By the early 1950s, a descriptive quality had been added to the portrayal of select U.S. cities.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
Denman’s descriptive style was different than nearly all his predecessors, who just described the action: Who was winning and by how far, who was second, who was third and so on.
—Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
More descriptive was the mood in Allianz Arena after Nicolas Kuhn converted that chance.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descriptive
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Guy Leon Sheetrit, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
By the early 1950s, a descriptive quality had been added to the portrayal of select U.S. cities.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
Denman’s descriptive style was different than nearly all his predecessors, who just described the action: Who was winning and by how far, who was second, who was third and so on.
—Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
More descriptive was the mood in Allianz Arena after Nicolas Kuhn converted that chance.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descriptive
Cite this Entry
“Descriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descriptive. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
descriptive
adjective
de·scrip·tive
di-ˈskrip-tiv
: serving to describe
a descriptive account
a descriptive adjective
descriptively
adverb
descriptiveness
noun
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