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
Ensuring all multimedia content is accessible by adding descriptive text for images and closed captions, transcripts and audio descriptions.
—
Ran Ronen, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
The enhanced captions — or Expressive Captions as Google calls them — add descriptive phrases to try and capture non-spoken moments in dialogue; think [gasp] or [applause].
—Allison Johnson, The Verge, 5 Dec. 2024
In order for an alert to be issued, an abduction must have occurred, the child must be at risk of serious injury or death, and there has to be descriptive information about the child, the suspect or the suspect's vehicle.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
Barrett flexes his descriptive muscle in this richly atmospheric book.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for descriptive 
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Ran Ronen, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
The enhanced captions — or Expressive Captions as Google calls them — add descriptive phrases to try and capture non-spoken moments in dialogue; think [gasp] or [applause].
—Allison Johnson, The Verge, 5 Dec. 2024
In order for an alert to be issued, an abduction must have occurred, the child must be at risk of serious injury or death, and there has to be descriptive information about the child, the suspect or the suspect's vehicle.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
Barrett flexes his descriptive muscle in this richly atmospheric book.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for descriptive
Articles Related to descriptive
Words for Dictionary Supernerds
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A Word on 'Descriptive' and...
When it comes to words, we're the descriptive sort.
Dictionary Entries Near descriptive
Cite this Entry
“Descriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descriptive. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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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