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Definition of descriptive adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

descriptive

adjective
 
/dɪˈskrɪptɪv/
 
/dɪˈskrɪptɪv/
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  1. saying what somebody/something is like; describing something
    • She read out some of the descriptive passages in the novel.
    • The term I used was meant to be purely descriptive (= not judging).
    Extra Examples
    • The terms are descriptive of strong emotion.
    • a highly descriptive account of her journey through Africa
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    adverb
    • highly
    • very
    • purely
    preposition
    • of
    See full entry
  2. (linguistics) saying how language is actually used, without giving rules for how it should be used opposite prescriptive
  3. Word Originmid 18th cent.: from late Latin descriptivus, from descript- ‘written down’, from the verb describere ‘write down’ from de- ‘down’ + scribere ‘write’.
See descriptive in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee descriptive in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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