gesticulate
verb
ges·tic·u·late je-ˈsti-kyə-ˌlāt 
gesticulated; gesticulating
intransitive verb
: to make gestures especially when speaking
arguing and gesticulating wildly
gesticulative
je-ˈsti-kyə-ˌlā-tiv
adjective gesticulator
je-ˈsti-kyə-ˌlā-tər
noun gesticulatory
je-ˈsti-kyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Above her, the rest of the art-world figures—all, as Bloemink shows, caricatural portraits of real people—gesticulate and grimace. 
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Madden could bark at players and gesticulate and yell on the sidelines. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2021 That pet-sized fly that Jean-Gab teaches to gesticulate is a gruesome reminder of some of our most repulsive public activists. Armond White, National Review, 23 July 2021 Let her twist and gesticulate and scream her head off. Hank Stuever, Anchorage Daily News, 4 July 2020 The man who can gesticulate as wildly on the sidelines as a broken windmill in a storm sought first to energize the supporters. Aimee Lewis, CNN, 25 June 2020 Video doesn’t help; even in a clinical realm, a man gesticulating over his scrotum on a webcam is of limited informational value. Robert Lurvey, Wired, 8 Apr. 2020 Djokovic would look at his guest box, gesticulating or shouting. Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2020 The La Guardia sculpture, inspired by a stem-winding speech that the mayor delivered at Mr. Estern’s high school graduation, portrays La Guardia in mid-stride, mouth open and gesticulating vigorously. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 30 July 2019 See More
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Madden could bark at players and gesticulate and yell on the sidelines. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2021 That pet-sized fly that Jean-Gab teaches to gesticulate is a gruesome reminder of some of our most repulsive public activists. Armond White, National Review, 23 July 2021 Let her twist and gesticulate and scream her head off. Hank Stuever, Anchorage Daily News, 4 July 2020 The man who can gesticulate as wildly on the sidelines as a broken windmill in a storm sought first to energize the supporters. Aimee Lewis, CNN, 25 June 2020 Video doesn’t help; even in a clinical realm, a man gesticulating over his scrotum on a webcam is of limited informational value. Robert Lurvey, Wired, 8 Apr. 2020 Djokovic would look at his guest box, gesticulating or shouting. Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2020 The La Guardia sculpture, inspired by a stem-winding speech that the mayor delivered at Mr. Estern’s high school graduation, portrays La Guardia in mid-stride, mouth open and gesticulating vigorously. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 30 July 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin gesticulatus, past participle of gesticulari, from *gesticulus, diminutive of gestus — see gesture entry 1
First Known Use
circa 1609, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
gesticulate
verb
ges·tic·u·late je-ˈsti-kyə-ˌlāt
gesticulated; gesticulating
: to make gestures especially when speaking
He gesticulated wildly during their argument.
gesticulatory
adjective
as in gesticulative
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- gesticulative
- gesticulant
- gestic
- moving
- gestural
- mobile
- movable
- motile
- expressive
- moveable
- demonstrative
- dynamic
- active
- expansive
- exuberant
- animated
- lively
- energetic
- busy
- effervescent
- alive
- vivacious
- bright
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- static
- wooden
- stationary
- still
- frozen
- motionless
- empty
- blank
- vacant
- numb
- catatonic
- expressionless
- stolid
- impassive
- deadpan
- inexpressive
- unresponsive
- immobile
- unbudging
- irremovable
- nonmotile
- nonmoving
- unmovable
- immotile