Adjacent Words

Expressive definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EXPRESS'IVE, a. Serving to express; serving to utter or represent; followed by of. He sent a letter couched in terms expressive of his gratitude.
Each verse so swells expressive of her woes.
1. Representing with force; emphatical.
These words are very expressive.
2. Showing; representing; as an expressive sign.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: characterized by expression; "a very expressive face"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 15th century 1. of or relating to expression <the expressive function of language> 2. serving to express, utter, or represent <foul and novel terms expressive of rage — H. G. Wells> 3. effectively conveying meaning or feeling <an expressive silence> <expressive line drawings> • expressively adverb • expressiveness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 full of expression (an expressive look). 2 (foll. by of) serving to express (words expressive of contempt). Derivatives: expressively adv. expressiveness n. expressivity n. Etymology: ME f. F expressif -ive or med.L expressivus (as EXPRESSION)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Expressive Ex*press"ive, a. [Cf. F. expressif.] 1. Serving to express, utter, or represent; indicative; communicative; -- followed by of; as, words expressive of his gratitude. Each verse so swells expressive of her woes. --Tickell. 2. Full of expression; vividly representing the meaning or feeling meant to be conveyed; significant; emphatic; as, expressive looks or words. You have restrained yourself within the list of too cold an adieu; be more expressive to them. --Shak. Through her expressive eyes her soul distinctly spoke. --Littelton. -- Ex*press"ive*ly,adv. -- Ex*press"ive*ness,n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you describe a person or their behaviour as expressive, you mean that their behaviour clearly indicates their feelings or intentions. You can train people to be more expressive. ...her small, usually expressive face. ADJ • expressively He moved his hands expressively. ADV: ADV with v • expressiveness Crying is part of our natural expressiveness.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. [With of.] Significant, indicative. 2. Emphatic, strong, forcible, energetic, lively, vivid. 3. Appropriate, sympathetic, well-modulated.

Moby Thesaurus

Christophanic, Satanophanic, alive, allegorical, allusive, angelophanic, appearing, associational, connotational, connotative, definable, delineative, demonstrating, demonstrative, denominative, denotational, denotative, depictive, descriptive, designative, diagnostic, disclosive, displaying, eloquent, emblematic, emotional, epiphanic, evidential, evincive, exhibitive, explicit, expositional, expositive, expository, extended, extensional, facund, faithful, figural, figurative, forceful, full of meaning, full of point, full of substance, graphic, identifying, ideographic, idiosyncratic, imaginative, implicative, incarnating, incarnational, indicating, indicative, indicatory, individual, intelligible, intensional, interpretable, lifelike, lively, loaded, manifestative, materializing, meaning, meaningful, meaty, metaphorical, moving, naming, naturalistic, pathognomonic, peculiar, pictorial, pithy, pneumatophanic, poignant, pointed, pregnant, presentational, promulgatory, provocative, readable, realistic, referential, representative, responsive, revealing, revelational, revelatory, rich, semantic, semiotic, sententious, showing, signalizing, significant, significative, signifying, spirited, striking, substantial, suggestive, symbolic, symbolistic, symbological, symptomatic, symptomatologic, telling, theophanic, thought-provoking, transferred, true to life, typical, vivid, well-drawn