descriptor

noun

de·​scrip·​tor di-ˈskrip-tər How to pronounce descriptor (audio)
: something (such as a word or characteristic feature) that serves to describe or identify
especially : a word or phrase (such as an index term) used to identify an item (such as a subject or document) in an information retrieval system

Examples of descriptor in a Sentence

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 two out of three of those descriptors scream dog whistle to you — ding ding ding! — Alanna Bennett, refinery29.com, 14 Mar. 2025 For now, vibe coding remains an apt descriptor of the messy, experimental relationship between AI and human developers—more collaborative than autonomous, but increasingly blurring the lines of who (or what) is really doing the programming. — Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2025 None of the usual descriptors of world order apply anymore: the international system is not unipolar or bipolar or multipolar. — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 Legal experts say that descriptor is a stretch; most of the young migrants and their guardians have simply stopped responding to government caseworkers. — Nick Miroff The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 27 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for descriptor

Word History

Etymology

see describe

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of descriptor was in 1946

Phrases Containing descriptor

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descriptor
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Cite this Entry

“Descriptor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descriptor. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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