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Synonyms

representative

American  
[rep-ri-zen-tuh-tiv] / ˌrɛp rɪˈzɛn tə tɪv /

noun

  1. a person or thing that represents another or others.

  2. an agent or deputy.

    a legal representative.

  3. a person who represents a constituency or community in a legislative body, especially a member of the U.S. House of Representatives or a lower house in certain state legislatures.

  4. a typical example or specimen of a group, quality, or kind.


adjective

  1. serving to represent; representing.

    Synonyms:
    characteristic, typical, exemplary, symbolic
  2. standing or acting for another or others.

  3. made up of representatives.

    a representative assembly.

  4. Government. of or relating to a system of governance by chosen representatives, usually elected from among a large group, as in

  5. exemplifying a group or kind; typical.

    a representative selection of Elizabethan plays.

  6. corresponding to or replacing some other species or the like, as in a different locality.

  7. of, relating to, or characteristic of representationalism.

  8. pertaining to or of the nature of a mental image or representation.

representative British  
/ ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv /

noun

  1. a person or thing that represents another or others

  2. Often shortened to: rep.  a person who represents and tries to sell the products or services of a firm, esp a travelling salesman

  3. a typical example

  4. a person representing a constituency in a deliberative, legislative, or executive body, esp ( capital ) a member of the House of Representatives (the lower house of Congress) See also House of Representatives

  5. a rugby player, football player, etc, chosen to represent a province in interprovincial sports

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. serving to represent; symbolic

    1. exemplifying a class or kind; typical

      a representative example of the species

    2. containing or including examples of all the interests, types, etc, in a group

      a representative collection

  2. acting as deputy or proxy for another or others

  3. acting for or representing a constituency or the whole people in the process of government

    a representative council

  4. of, characterized by, or relating to the political principle of representation of the people

    representative government

  5. of or relating to a mental picture or representation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonrepresentative noun
  • nonrepresentatively adverb
  • nonrepresentativeness noun
  • overrepresentative adjective
  • overrepresentatively adverb
  • overrepresentativeness noun
  • representatively adverb
  • representativeness noun
  • unrepresentative adjective
  • unrepresentatively adverb
  • unrepresentativeness noun

Etymology

Origin of representative

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Medieval Latin repraesentātīvus, from repraesentāt(us) “made present” ( representation ) + -īvus -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.

Peacock representatives confirmed in an email that the fish at breakfast was “locally sourced Scottish smoked salmon, from various local providers.”

From Salon

Kluh, along with representatives from Orange and Ventura counties, said their teams have noticed over the past several years that the Aedes aegypti are adjusting to living in California and growing in population.

From Los Angeles Times

A representative for Anthropic did not immediately respond to MarketWatch’s request for comment.

From MarketWatch

You’ve got enough on your plate that you can’t spare time to wait for a representative from their financial institution as you try to settle their affairs — and then hear that they can’t help you.

From MarketWatch

Union representatives however slammed the plans to "relocate large parts" of the Berlin operation to India, and accused management of breaching existing agreements.

From Barron's