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. [1913 Webster] Each verse so swells expressive of her woes. Tickell. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
expressive — expressive, eloquent, significant, meaningful, pregnant, sententious mean clearly conveying or manifesting a thought, idea, or feeling or a combination of these. Something is expressive which vividly or strikingly represents the thoughts,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
expressive — ex·pres·sive adj 1: of or relating to expression 2: serving to express or represent expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment ex·pres·sive·ly adv ex·pres·sive·ness n Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law … Law dictionary
expressive — [ek spres′iv, ikspres′iv] adj. [ME < ML expressivus] 1. of or characterized by expression 2. that expresses or shows; indicative (of) [a song expressive of joy] 3. full of meaning or feeling [an expressive nod] expressively adv. expressiveness … English World dictionary
expressive — ► ADJECTIVE 1) effectively conveying thought or feeling. 2) (expressive of) conveying (a quality or idea). DERIVATIVES expressively adverb expressiveness noun expressivity noun … English terms dictionary
expressive — c.1400, tending to press out, Fr. expressif, from expres clear, plain, from stem of L. exprimere (see EXPRESS (Cf. express) (v.)). Meaning full of expression is from 1680s. Related: Expressively; expressiveness … Etymology dictionary
expressive — [adj] telling, revealing alive, allusive, articulate, artistic, brilliant, colorful, demonstrative, dramatic, eloquent, emphatic, energetic, forcible, graphic, indicative, ingenious, lively, masterly, meaningful, mobile, moving, passionate,… … New thesaurus
expressive — expressively, adv. expressiveness, n. /ik spres iv/, adj. 1. full of expression; meaningful: an expressive shrug. 2. serving to express; indicative of power to express: a look expressive of gratitude. 3. of, pertaining to, or concerned with… … Universalium
expressive — ex|pres|sive [ ık spresıv ] adjective 1. ) clearly showing what your thoughts or feelings are, especially by your behavior: a wonderfully expressive face He gave an expressive shudder when asked to hold the snake. an expressive description of… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
expressive — UK [ɪkˈspresɪv] / US adjective 1) clearly showing what your thoughts or feelings are, especially by your behaviour a wonderfully expressive face He gave an expressive shudder when asked to hold the snake. an expressive description of childhood… … English dictionary
