descriptive

English

Etymology

From Latin dēscriptīvus (“containing a full description”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

descriptive (comparative more descriptive, superlative most descriptive)

  1. Of, relating to, or providing a description.
    Hyponym: self-descriptive
  2. (grammar) Of an adjective, stating an attribute of the associated noun (as heavy in the heavy dictionary).
  3. (linguistics) Describing the structure, grammar, vocabulary and actual use of a language.
  4. (sciences, philosophy) Describing and seeking to classify, as opposed to normative or prescriptive.
    Antonyms: normative, non-descriptive, prescriptive
    • 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 13 February 2012, page 162:
      He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record.

Derived terms

Translations

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Translations to be checked

Noun

descriptive (plural descriptives)

  1. (grammar) An adjective (or other descriptive word).

Derived terms

See also

Anagrams

French

Adjective

descriptive

  1. feminine singular of descriptif
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