adj.
Pronunciation: di- ' skrip-tiv
Function: adjective
Date: 1723
1 : serving to describe <a descriptive account>
2 a : referring to, constituting, or grounded in matters of observation or experience <the descriptive basis of science> b : factually grounded or informative rather than normative, prescriptive, or emotive < descriptive cultural studies>
3 of a modifier a : expressing the quality, kind, or condition of what is denoted by the modified term < hot in “ hot water ” is a descriptive adjective> b : NONRESTRICTIVE
4 : of, relating to, or dealing with the structure of a language at a particular time usually with exclusion of historical and comparative data < descriptive linguistics>
– de · scrip · tive · ly adverb
– de · scrip · tive · ness noun