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
Sufficient descriptive information is available to assist in their recovery.
—
Julie Mendes, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
Here’s what to do instead: Use descriptive names, explain decisions in comments and log key events with proper context (user ID, request ID, error details and so on) to swiftly identify and resolve issues.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
There are so many styles of tampons to choose from, but sometimes, their names aren’t the most descriptive.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 17 July 2025
She is known for her immersive and descriptive writing style, often going undercover to review restaurants.
—Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for descriptive
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Julie Mendes, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
Here’s what to do instead: Use descriptive names, explain decisions in comments and log key events with proper context (user ID, request ID, error details and so on) to swiftly identify and resolve issues.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
There are so many styles of tampons to choose from, but sometimes, their names aren’t the most descriptive.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 17 July 2025
She is known for her immersive and descriptive writing style, often going undercover to review restaurants.
—Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for descriptive
Cite this Entry
“Descriptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descriptive. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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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