Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definitions: Descriptive |
DescriptiveAdjective1. Serving to describe or inform or characterized by description; "the descriptive variable"; "a descriptive passage". 2. Concerned with phenomena (especially language) at a particular period without considering historical antecedents; "synchronic linguistics"; "descriptive linguistics". 3. (grammar) describing the structure of a language; "descriptive linguistics simply describes language". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "descriptive" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1550. (references) |
Etymology: Descriptive \De*scrip"tive\, adjective. [Latin expression descriptivus: compare to the French expression descriptif.]. (Websters 1913) |
Synonym: DescriptiveSynonym: synchronic (adj). (additional references) |
| Antonyms: diachronic (adj), prescriptive (adj), undescriptive (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Description | Adjective: descriptive, graphic, narrative, epic, suggestive, well-drawn; historic; traditional, traditionary; legendary; anecdotic, storied; described; Verb: |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Do you know why the number two hundred is so vitally descriptive of both you and me? (Superman; writing credit: Jerry Siegel; Joe Shuster) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Periodicals |
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Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Cows grazing on sun-soaked grass with tree-covered hills in the background and descriptive cloud formations above.Credit: Merv Coleman. |  | Descriptive plaque, part of a memorial erected at Hull, Yorkshire, England, in honor of those lost when the airship broke up in the air, exploded and crashed into the Humber River off Hull. Of the 49 men on board, including 17 Americans, 44 lost their lives.Credit: NAVY. |
 | Miss Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1332 V St., Washington, D.C., makes a living of photographic illustration and the writing of descriptive articles for magazines, illustrated weeklies, and newspapers.Credit: Library of Congress. | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Later, other descriptive names evolved. (references) | |
Many are still small descriptive studies. (references) | ||
Not long ago, only descriptive studies were possible. (references) | ||
Economic History | Korea | In light of the competition offered by Japanese suppliers, who often visit potential and existing customers throughout Korea, U.S. suppliers should consider (1) making visits to Korea to augment the efforts of the local representative; (2) bringing representatives back to the home office periodically to ensure they are fully informed, motivated and up-to-date on the supplier and its offerings; (3) allowing the distributor or agent to appropriately choose among the U.S. company's full product line selection for sale in the Korean market, (4) holding more demonstrations, seminars and exhibitions of their products in Korea; (5) increasing the distribution of technical data and descriptive brochures; and (6) improving follow-up of initial sales leads. (references) |
Trade | Japan | The commercial invoice should be as descriptive as possible on each item in the shipment. (references) |
Norway | Samples, catalogs, photographs, or other descriptive literature should be submitted whenever possible. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Descriptive" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 98.11% of the time. "Descriptive" is used about 688 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 98.11% | 675 | 9,782 |
| Noun (proper) | 1.74% | 12 | 101,599 |
| Noun (singular) | 0.15% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 688 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "descriptive": aeronautical descriptive climatological memorandum ♦ be descriptive of ♦ descriptive abstract ♦ descriptive adjective ♦ Descriptive anatomy ♦ descriptive anthropology ♦ descriptive clause ♦ descriptive data ♦ descriptive entry ♦ Descriptive geometry ♦ descriptive grammar ♦ descriptive index ♦ descriptive labeling ♦ descriptive linguistics ♦ descriptive markup ♦ descriptive name ♦ descriptive power ♦ descriptive survey ♦ descriptive writing. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "descriptive": descriptive-inductive. | |
Ending with "descriptive": non-descriptive, self-descriptive. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "descriptive"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | deskriptiv, demonstrativ (affected, demonstrative), përshkrues (circumlocutional, expositive, expository). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | وصفي (adjectival, adjective, qualifier), تصويرى. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | описателен (expository, narrative, paraphrastic, periphrastic), нагледен (demonstrative, graphic, synoptic). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 描写 (Descriptively). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | popisný. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | dataskilt (data plate, descriptive plate, information plate, inscription plate), datakort (descriptive sheet, fact sheet), deskriptiv bibliografisk indfoerelse (descriptive entry), deskriptiv indfoerelse (descriptive entry), deskriptiv undersøgelse (descriptive survey), deskriptive data (descriptive data), dokumentation (descriptive document, documentary evidence, documentation, evidence, records), ejendomsbeskrivelse (descriptive schedule), indikativt referat (alerting abstract, descriptive abstract, indicative abstract), typeskilt (data plate, descriptive plate, information plate, inscription plate), paaskrift (descriptive marking), beskrivelse (account, description, descriptive name), beskrivende undersøgelse (descriptive survey), beskrivende opmærkning (descriptive markup), beskrivende navn (descriptive name), beskrivende kodning (descriptive markup), beskrivende indeks (descriptive index), beskrivende formattering (descriptive markup), beskrivende data (descriptive data), bygningsbeskrivelse (descriptive schedule). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | beschrývend. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | priskriba. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | وصفی (Adjectival, Adjective, Apposition, Ordinal), وصف کننده , توصیفی , تشریحی (Anatomical). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | kuvaileva, kuvaava (characteristic of). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | descriptif (described). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | beschreibend (describing, descriptively). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | περιγραφικόσ, παραστατικόσ (graphic, remonstrant, schematic). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | מתאר (contour, outline, profile), תאורי, ציורי (graphic, pictorial, picturesque, quaint). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | leíró (expositive). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | deskriptif, menguraikan (disentangle, enlighten). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | descrittivo. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 叙事詩 (descriptive poetry, epic poem). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | がほうきかがく (descriptive geometry), きじぶ" (descriptive composition), きじゅつぶ"ぽう (descriptive grammar), きじゅつてき とうせい (descriptive adequacy), うたまくら (oft-repeated descriptive epithets in poetry), じょじし (descriptive poetry, epic poem), じ"ぶ"ちり (descriptive geography), じ"も"ちり (descriptive geography). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 기 (Craft, Describing, tec, tech, Technic, technical, technique, technology). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | soilshee (explanatory, illustrative). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | escriptiveday descritivo. (various references) descriptiv (expository). (various references) описательный (circumlocutory, expositive, expository). (various references) deskriptivan, opisni (expositive), opisan (periphrastic). (various references) descriptivo (describing, projective). (various references) deskriptiv, skildrande, beskrivande (expositive). (various references) ซึ่งพรร"า. (various references) tanımlayıcı (illustrative, illustrator, restrictive), resmedici, betimsel (figurative), belirtici (demonstrative, enunciative). (various references) описовий (circumlocutory, expositive, expository, periphrastic), наочний (apparent, demonstrable, demonstrative, ocular, ostensive, visual), зображувальний. (various references) diễn tả, mô tả. (various references) disgrifiadol. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "descriptive": descriptively, descriptiveness, descriptivenesses. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "descriptive": nondescriptive. (additional references) | |
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"Descriptive" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: decriptive, descriptif, desriptive, discriptive. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "descriptive" (pronounced duskri"ptiv) |
| 4 | -p t i v | adaptive, adoptive, captive, contraceptive, corruptive, deceptive, disparages, disruptive, eruptive, perceptive, preemptive, presumptive, receptive, redemptive, unreceptive. |
| 3 | -t i v | abortive, accommodative, accumulative, accusative, acquisitive, active, addictive, additive, adjective, administrative, affective, affirmative, alliterative, alternative, anticompetitive, appointive, appreciative, argumentative, assaultive, assertive, attentive, attractive, authoritative, automotive, causative, cognitive, collaborative, collective, combative, commemorative, communicative, comparative, competitive, conductive, congestive, connective, consecutive, conservative, constructive, consultative, contemplative, cooperative, corrective, counterproductive, creative, cumulative, curative, decorative, defective, definitive, degenerative, deliberative, demonstrative, derivative, destructive, detective, digestive, dilutive, diminutive, directive, disincentive, dispositive, dissipative, distinctive, distributive, duplicative, effective, elective, elucidative, evocative, executive, exhaustive, expletive, exploitative, exploitive, facultative, Federative, festive, figurative, fixative, formative, fugitive, furtive, generative, hyperactive, hypersensitive, illustrative, imaginative, imitative, imperative, inactive, inattentive, incentive, indicative, ineffective, infective, infinitive, informative, initiative, injunctive, innovative, inoperative, inquisitive, insensitive, instinctive, instructive, interactive, interpretive, introspective, intuitive, invective, inventive, investigative, irrespective, iterative, laxative, legislative, locomotive, lucrative, manipulative, meditative, motive, narrative, native, negative, neoconservative, nonautomotive, noncompetitive, noncumulative, nonexecutive, nonnative, nonproductive, normative, nutritive, objective, obstructive, octave, operative, overactive, palliative, participative, pejorative, perspective, photoconductive, plaintive, positive, predictive, prerogative, preservative, preventative, preventive, primitive, proactive, probative, productive, prognosticative, prohibitive, projective, prospective, protective, provocative, punitive, putative, qualitative, quantitative, radioactive, reactive, reconstructive, recuperative, redistributive, reflective, refractive, regulative, rehabilitative, relative, remunerative, rep, repetitive, representative, reproductive, respective, restive, restorative, restrictive, retroactive, retrospective, secretive, sedative, seductive, selective, sensitive, speculative, stimulative, subjective, substantive, suggestive, superconductive, superlative, supportive, talkative, tentative, ultraconservative, unattractive, uncompetitive, uncooperative, unimaginative, uninformative, unproductive, unrepresentative, vegetative, vindictive, vituperative. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-d-e-e-i-i-p-r-s-t-v" | |
-1 letter: directives, predictive. | |
-2 letters: depicters, directive, pesticide, revisited. | |
-3 letters: crepiest, decisive, decrepit, depicter, deprives, derisive, desertic, dieretic, discreet, discrete, picrites, precised, precited, predicts, preedits, prevised, priciest, priested, priviest, receipts, respited, riptides, sceptred, scrieved, scripted, serviced, siderite, spirited, tiderips, verdicts, veristic, verities, vertices. | |
-4 letters: cerites, credits, crested, crisped, deceits, decries, deicers, deistic, deities, depicts, deprive, derives. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-d-e-e-i-i-p-r-s-t-v" | |
+2 letters: descriptively. | |
+3 letters: nondescriptive. | |
+4 letters: descriptiveness. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)44 65 73 63 72 69 70 74 69 76 65 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references)-.. . ... -.-. .-. .. .--. - .. ...- . |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01000100 01100101 01110011 01100011 01110010 01101001 01110000 01110100 01101001 01110110 01100101 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)D e s c r i p t i v e |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0044 0065 0073 0063 0072 0069 0070 0074 0069 0076 0065 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)3871856984758286758871 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Non-fiction 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Expressions 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Derivations | 13. Rhymes 14. Anagrams 15. Orthography 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
