rep·re·sen·ta·tive
ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 
1
: serving to represent
a painting representative of a storm
2
a
: standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority
b
: of, based on, or constituting a government in which the many are represented by persons chosen from among them usually by election
representative democracy
3
a
: serving as a typical or characteristic example of a particular group of people or of a particular thing
a representative moviegoer
a representative romantic poem
The paintings are representative of English art in the early 19th century.
b
: including examples of the different types of people or things in a group
The students chosen for the survey are a fairly representative sample of college students from across the U.S.
However, representation simply is not enough—especially when it is one-dimensional, superficial, or not actually representative. Some scholars describe how Asian American media depictions still tend to reinforce stereotypes …—
Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal
Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal4
: of or relating to representation or representationalism
plural representatives
1
: someone or something that represents another or others: such as
a(1)
: someone who represents a constituency as a member of a legislative body
(2)
: a member of the house of representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature
state representatives
b
: someone who represents another as agent, deputy, substitute, or delegate usually being invested with the authority of the principal
c
: someone who represents a business organization
a sales representative
d
: someone who represents a social group sharing an affiliation or culture
Various representatives of community resources and cultures assisted in deepening the recruits' understanding of the community, its people, available services, and fostering connections with local non-profit organizations.—Marla Poirier
Marla Poirier
e
: someone who represents another as successor or heir
2
: a typical example of a group, class, or quality : specimen
Synonyms
Examples of representative in a Sentence
Adjective
The paintings are representative of English art in the early 19th century.
The students chosen for the survey are a fairly representative sample of college students from across the U.S.
Noun
Do you know who your representatives are?
The bill was introduced by Representative Smith.
a representative of her age group
Recent Examples on the Web
Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Nov. 2024
Redfield & Wilton asked a representative sample of 1,500 Americans in July on behalf of Newsweek whether they would be influenced by a Meghan and Harry endorsement.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
For example, a company may want to introduce a product in new markets but can't finance new sales representatives due to unpaid invoices from distributors.
—Oleg Chanchikov, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for representative 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
And that panel, while unrepresentative of Black America, was perfectly representative of how almost all of the spokespeople in symbolic capitalist spaces are.
—Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Nov. 2024
Redfield & Wilton asked a representative sample of 1,500 Americans in July on behalf of Newsweek whether they would be influenced by a Meghan and Harry endorsement.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
Let District 3 voters pick council member We the people in District 3 deserve to elect our replacement representative.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
For example, a company may want to introduce a product in new markets but can't finance new sales representatives due to unpaid invoices from distributors.
—Oleg Chanchikov, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for representative
Articles Related to representative
Dictionary Entries Near representative
Cite this Entry
“Representative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/representative. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
representative
1 of 2 adjective
rep·re·sen·ta·tive
ˌrep-ri-ˈzent-ət-iv
1
: serving to represent
a painting representative of a battle
2
: standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority
3
: of, based upon, or being a government in which the people are represented by persons chosen from among them usually by election
4
: serving as a typical example of the thing mentioned
a representative athlete
representatively
adverb
representativeness
noun
representative
2 of 2 noun1
: a typical example of a group, class, or quality
2
: one that represents another or others : delegate
especially
: a member of the house of representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature
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