representative

1 of 2

adjective

rep·​re·​sen·​ta·​tive ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

1

: serving to represent

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

3

: serving as a typical or characteristic example

a representative moviegoer

4

: of or relating to representation or representationalism

representatively adverb

representativeness noun

representativity

ˌre-pri-ˌzen-tə-ˈti-və-tē 

noun

representative

2 of 2

noun

1

: one that represents another or others: such as

a(1)

: one that 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

b

: one that represents another as agent, deputy, substitute, or delegate usually being invested with the authority of the principal

c

: one that represents a business organization

d

: one that represents another as successor or heir

2

: a typical example of a group, class, or quality : specimen

Synonyms

Adjective

• archetypal
• archetypical
• average
• characteristic
• normal
• regular
• standard
• true
• typical

Noun

• agent
• assignee
• attorney
• commissary
• delegate
• deputy
• envoy
• factor
• minister
• procurator
• proxy
• rep

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

Adjective

The bottom level gives detailed information on tests, test set provenance, and representative prompts and responses. —IEEE Spectrum, 16 Apr. 2024

So in 2022, Siddiqui underwent IVF at Stanford, wound up with 16 contenders, and sent off representative slivers to Orchid’s lab in North Carolina. —Jason Kehe, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024

Also, their life experiences are not representative of the vast majority of the 34,000 North Koreans who have resettled in the South since 1998, most of whom are women and have not received university education. —Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

While two-thirds of the nation favor abolishing the Electoral College, Nebraska Republicans are looking to strengthen it, as an effort to undo the state's uniquely representative electoral vote system picks up traction ahead of the 2024 election. —Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

Sega employees seeking a slice of union success is representative of the tech world’s larger interest in organizing. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024

Clients can try on sample jackets and trousers in various sizes and view representative swatches of the PML archive before placing an order. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 27 Mar. 2024

The underlying data available in DV Pinnacle was accurate; only the graphical visualization was not representative of the Brand Safety Rate. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024

But the alumni of an élite college may not have been representative. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

Noun

But a representative for the student encampment stressed that their target was not Israel but the university itself. —Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2024

For more information on scattering ashes at sea, including the contact information for the EPA representative in Florida, see the EPA’s Burial at Sea page. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024

The task force, composed of representatives from Lucas’ office and city agencies including the police department, health department and Regulated Industries, among others, visited the shop in November. —Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2024

Daimler representatives did not respond to a request for comment from The Charlotte Observer as of Friday afternoon. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Apr. 2024

Asked who is buying Zelda’s, a representative for the business told The Bee they were not legally allowed to provide that information. —Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 25 Apr. 2024

Nathan Miller, a representative for the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, declined to comment. —Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024

Why national races matter in local politics One of the reasons these representatives have found success, said Tim Hellwig, a political science professor at the University of Buffalo, is their focus on district-specific issues. —Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024

Earlier this month, per CBS, legal representatives for the two companies made a preemptive filing in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore aiming to limit their liability in the crash. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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 noun

1

: 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

Legal Definition

representative

1 of 2 adjective

rep·​re·​sen·​ta·​tive

1

: serving to represent

2

a

: standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority

an agent acting in a representative capacity

b

: of, based on, or constituting a government in which the people are represented by individuals chosen from among them usually by election

3

: of or relating to representation

representative

2 of 2 noun

: one that represents another or others in a special capacity: as

a

: one that represents a constituency as a member of a legislative or other governing body

specifically : a member of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature

b

: one that represents another as agent, deputy, substitute, or delegate and that usually is invested with the authority of the principal

c

: one that represents or stands in the place of a deceased person : personal representative

d

: one that represents another as successor or heir

e

: one named as the plaintiff or defendant in a class action to litigate on behalf of the class