expressive
Americanadjective
-
full of expression; meaningful.
an expressive shrug.
-
serving to express; indicative of power to express.
a look expressive of gratitude.
-
of, relating to, or concerned with expression.
Dance is a highly expressive art.
-
Sociology. (of a crowd or group) engaging in nonpurposeful activity of an expressive and often rhythmic nature, as weeping, dancing, or shouting.
-
Linguistics. of or relating to forms in which sounds denote a semantic field directly and nonarbitrarily, through sound symbolism based, to some degree, on synesthesia, as observable in onomatopoeia, rhyming and gradational compounds, and emotionally charged words such as hypocoristics and pejoratives.
adjective
-
of, involving, or full of expression
-
indicative or suggestive (of)
a look expressive of love
-
having a particular meaning, feeling, or force; significant
Usage
What are other ways to say expressive?
Expressive gestures are full of meaning; expressive looks effectively convey an attitude or feeling. How is expressive different from synonyms meaningful, significant, and suggestive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Related Words
See eloquent ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
- antiexpressive adjective
- antiexpressively adverb
- antiexpressiveness noun
- expressively adverb
- expressiveness noun
- nonexpressive adjective
- nonexpressively adverb
- nonexpressiveness noun
- overexpressive adjective
- overexpressively adverb
- overexpressiveness noun
- preexpressive adjective
- superexpressive adjective
- superexpressively adverb
- superexpressiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of expressive
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French; express, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now, eight months after Brian Wilson’s death in June at age 82, a new box set looks back at the era as an expressive outpouring led by the band’s rejuvenated visionary.
From Los Angeles Times
The conductor is petite with large, expressive eyes and a Cheshire cat’s smile.
From Los Angeles Times
But the characters are expressive, and the medium is used to unreal ends, which is, after all, what cartoons are good for.
From Los Angeles Times
"This triumph is a result of the completeness of their performance, their high technical skill, the expressive power born from their harmony, and above all the bond of trust between the two," the spokesman said.
From Barron's
“You have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions and wear expressive clothing in school — as long as you don’t disrupt the functioning of the school or violate the school’s content-neutral policies.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
