descriptive

English

Etymology

Latin dēscriptīvus (“containing a full description”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈskɹɪptɪv/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Adjective

descriptive (comparative more descriptive, superlative most descriptive)

1. Of, relating to, or providing a description.
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.
   • 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, page 162:

     He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record.

Antonyms

• (science): prescriptive, normative, non-descriptive

Hyponyms

• self-descriptive

Derived terms

• autodescriptive
• descriptive adjective
• descriptive ethics
• descriptive geometry
• descriptive statistics
• descriptively
• descriptiveness
• descriptivism
• descriptivist
• descriptivistic
• non-descriptive
• self-descriptive

 

Related terms

• describe

 

Translations

of, or relating to description

• Armenian: նկարագրական (hy) (nkaragrakan)
• Belarusian: апіса́льны m (apisálʹny)
• Bulgarian: описателен (bg) (opisatelen), нагледен (bg) (nagleden)
• Catalan: descriptiu
• Czech: popisný (cs) m
• Danish: beskrivende, deskriptiv
• Finnish: kuvaileva (fi), esittelevä (fi), toteava (fi), deskriptiivinen (fi)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 説明する (せつめいする, setsumei suru)
• Ladino: deskriptivo
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: beskrivende (no), deskriptiv (no)

  Nynorsk: deskriptiv

• Polish: opisowy (pl)
• Portuguese: descritivo (pt)
• Romanian: descriptiv (ro) m or n
• Russian: описа́тельный (ru) (opisátelʹnyj), нагля́дный (ru) (nagljádnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: dȅskriptīvan (sh)
• Spanish: descriptivo (es)
• Swedish: beskrivande (sv)
• Ukrainian: описо́вий (opysóvyj)

stating an attribute to associated noun

• Danish: beskrivende, deskriptiv
• Finnish: kuvaileva (fi), deskriptiivinen (fi)
• Japanese: 限定用法の (げんていようほうの, gentei yōhō no)
• Ladino: deskriptivo
• Russian: описа́тельный (ru) (opisátelʹnyj)

describing a language

• Bulgarian: описателен (bg) (opisatelen)
• Catalan: descriptiu
• Finnish: kuvaileva (fi), deskriptiivinen (fi)
• German: deskriptiv (de)
• Japanese: 記述的な (きじゅつてきな, kijutsuteki na)
• Ladino: deskriptivo
• Romanian: descriptiv (ro) m or n
• Russian: описа́тельный (ru) (opisátelʹnyj)
• Spanish: descriptivo (es)
• Swedish: deskriptiv (sv)

describing and seeking to classify

• Finnish: kuvaileva (fi), deskriptiivinen (fi)
• Serbo-Croatian: dȅskriptīvan (sh)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} descrittivo (it)

Noun

descriptive (plural descriptives)

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

Derived terms

• auctorial descriptive

See also

• Description on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Linguistic prescription on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• discerptive

French

Adjective

descriptive

1. feminine singular of descriptif