descriptor

noun

de·​scrip·​tor di-ˈskrip-tər 

: 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

The Trump tariff regime from its start carries none of those descriptors. —Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

But the Francophone descriptor fails to conjure the dust her voice kicks up, the grit and moan that hang in the air after each song. —Carrie Brownstein, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2025

Sophisticated and simply elegant are on-point descriptors when in comes to Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 until 1963 as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. —Nancy Olson, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Beautifully weird is one of my favorite descriptors. —H. Alan Scott, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see describe

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing descriptor

• self-descriptor