1
: a word (such as who, what, which) or a particle (such as Latin -ne) used in asking questions
Examples of interrogative in a Sentence
Adjective
“Did you go to school today?” is an interrogative sentence.
an interrogative pronoun such as “who”
She had an interrogative expression on her face.
an interrogative tone of voice
Noun
though she phrased it as an interrogative, it was clear that the utterance was more of a command
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The statues felt interrogative, like something or someone was already disappointed in me.
—Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 12 Sep. 2024
The series takes an interrogative approach to its source material, framing Rice’s iconic goth novel and its 1994 film adaptation as the previous version of its story, one in which the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) lies and deceives his interviewer, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 May 2024
Audit your schedule with this interrogative prompt.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Her interrogative installations use collage, painting and light to create off kilter realities laced with social commentary.
—Briana Miller, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023
These law enforcement officers had been trained in all the interrogative techniques that are utilized to elicit a confession.
—Eric Fleischauer The Decatur Daily, al, 2 Dec. 2022
Other interrogative terms typically solicit specific information.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 17 Aug. 2022
James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2019
But Zuckerberg didn’t reply to any hallway interrogatives.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2018
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Adjective
Hockney’s paintings and drawings, as well as his later photo collages and digital works, invariably had a playful, exploratory, interrogative relationship with perspective, light, scale, framing, rendering—the basic components of picture-making.
—Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The statues felt interrogative, like something or someone was already disappointed in me.
—Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 12 Sep. 2024
The series takes an interrogative approach to its source material, framing Rice’s iconic goth novel and its 1994 film adaptation as the previous version of its story, one in which the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) lies and deceives his interviewer, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 May 2024
Audit your schedule with this interrogative prompt.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Her interrogative installations use collage, painting and light to create off kilter realities laced with social commentary.
—Briana Miller, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023
These law enforcement officers had been trained in all the interrogative techniques that are utilized to elicit a confession.
—Eric Fleischauer The Decatur Daily, al, 2 Dec. 2022
Other interrogative terms typically solicit specific information.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 17 Aug. 2022
Noun
How about: to the huge, throbbing interrogative that is America at the end of 2019.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2019
But Zuckerberg didn’t reply to any hallway interrogatives.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Interrogative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interrogative. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
interrogative
1 of 2 adjective
in·ter·rog·a·tive
ˌint-ə-ˈräg-ət-iv 
1
: having the form or force of a question
an interrogative phrase
2
: used in a question
an interrogative pronoun
interrogatively
adverb
interrogative
2 of 2 noun
: a word (as who, what, which) used in asking questions
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