Descriptive language or writing indicates what someone or something is like.
...his descriptive way of writing.
Synonyms: graphic, vivid, expressive, picturesque More Synonyms of descriptive
descriptive in British English
(dɪˈskrɪptɪv)
adjective
1.
characterized by or containing description; serving to describe
2. grammar
(of an adjective) serving to describe the referent of the noun modified, as for example the adjective brown as contrasted with my and former
3.
relating to or based upon description or classification rather than explanation or prescription
descriptive linguistics
Derived forms
descriptively (deˈscriptively)
adverb
descriptiveness (deˈscriptiveness)
noun
descriptive in American English
(dɪˈskrɪptɪv)
adjective
describing; of or characterized by description
; specif.,
a.
designating or of a branch of a science in which its data or materials are described and classified
descriptive anatomy
b. Grammar
designating an adjective that indicates a quality or condition of the person or thingnamed by the word it modifies
“big” in “big barn” is a descriptive adjective
Derived forms
descriptively (deˈscriptively)
adverb
descriptiveness (deˈscriptiveness)
noun
Examples of 'descriptive' in a sentence
descriptive
Some of the descriptive passages are evocative and powerful.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
His descriptive language is deceptively simple and profoundly evocative.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The emphasis he places on the process of writing can be seen in the descriptive language he uses to recount his theory.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Add to that, his descriptive powers of place.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He recorded telling descriptive details, noted sounds and smells and took photographs.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He merely had to mimic viable procedures, and use the right descriptive language.
The Times Literary Supplement (2008)
I find dialogue quite easy but descriptive passages harder.
The Sun (2016)
The descriptive writing is bland.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Use descriptive language and details.
Porush, David A Short Guide to Writing About Science (1995)
In a language that invents descriptive terms with drunken abandon, all food writers suffer from the meagre cupboard of gastronomic terms.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In this I soon find that neither descriptive nor motivational language helps very much.
Christianity Today (2000)
That, in passing, produces some fine descriptive writing.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I have continued to use it because it is one of the few descriptive terms that has not been "redefined" in psychiatric dictionaries.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
Gripping as this plot is, it is the descriptive detail that lifts the story from the run-of-the-mill.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
When reading together, ask questions such as'What is the effect of having a long descriptive passage here?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The theme of shared secret memories unfolds like a peeled onion, framed by descriptive passages of rural France as vivid as paintings.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
From time to time one comes across a turn of phrase, a descriptive passage, a metaphor so apt that it rings like lead crystal.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
descriptive
British English: descriptive ADJECTIVE
Descriptive language or writing indicates what someone or something is like.
...his descriptive way of writing.
American English: descriptive
Brazilian Portuguese: descritivo
Chinese: 描述的
European Spanish: descriptivo
French: descriptif
German: deskriptiv
Italian: descrittivo
Japanese: 記述的
Korean: 기술적인
European Portuguese: descritivo
Latin American Spanish: descriptivo
All related terms of 'descriptive'
descriptive geometry
the study of the projection of three-dimensional figures onto a plane surface
descriptive grammar
an approach to grammar that is concerned with reporting the usage of native speakers without reference to proposed norms of correctness or advocacy of rules based on such norms
descriptive notation
a method of denoting the squares on the chessboard in which each player names the files from the pieces that stand on them at the opening and numbers the ranks away from himself or herself
descriptive statistics
the use of statistics to describe a set of known data in a clear and concise manner, as in terms of its mean and variance , or diagrammatically, as by a histogram
descriptive linguistics
the study of the description of the internal phonological, grammatical , and semantic structures of languages at given points in time without reference to their histories or to one another
descriptive metaphysics
the philosophical study of the structure of how we think about the world
nonrestrictive clause
a relative clause that describes or supplements but is not essential in establishing the identity of the antecedent and is usually set off by commas in English. In This year, which has been dry, is bad for crops the clause which has been dry is a nonrestrictive clause
(adjective)
Definition
describing something
The group adopted a simpler, more descriptive title.
Synonyms
graphic
graphic descriptions of violence
vivid
Last night I had a vivid dream which really upset me.
expressive
She had a small, expressive face.
picturesque
Every inn had a quaint and picturesque name.
detailed
explanatory
The statements are accompanied by a series of explanatory notes.
pictorial
a pictorial history of the Special Air Service
illustrative
The following excerpt is illustrative of her interaction with students.
depictive
Additional synonyms
in the sense of explanatory
Definition
serving or intended to serve as an explanation
The statements are accompanied by a series of explanatory notes.
Synonyms
descriptive,
interpretive,
illustrative,
interpretative,
demonstrative,
justifying,
expository,
illuminative,
elucidatory,
explicative
in the sense of expressive
Definition
of or full of expression
She had a small, expressive face.
Synonyms
vivid,
strong,
striking,
telling,
moving,
lively,
sympathetic,
energetic,
poignant,
emphatic,
eloquent,
forcible
in the sense of illustrative
The following excerpt is illustrative of her interaction with students.