descriptive
adj.-
1 giving details (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediategiving a clear and detailed picture of what something or someone is like.
providing a detailed account or representation of the characteristics of a person, object, or event.
ExampleThe author used very descriptive language to help the reader imagine the forest.
ExampleThe witness provided a highly descriptive account of the suspect, noting specific details about his clothing and mannerisms that proved vital to the investigation.
- vague
- undetailed
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2 linguistics/grammar (adj.) C1 Advanced Academic Technical Sciencedescribing how people actually use a language, rather than telling them how they should use it.
referring to an approach that analyses and records how language is naturally used by its speakers without making value judgements.
ExampleA descriptive grammar book explains how people talk in real life.
ExampleModern linguistics is primarily a descriptive science, focusing on the underlying patterns of speech rather than enforcing arbitrary grammatical rules.
UsageOften contrasted with 'prescriptive' in linguistic contexts.
Teacher's tipThis is a key term in linguistics; explain to students that a descriptive dictionary records slang and errors if they are common, while a prescriptive one forbids them.
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3 classifying (adj.) C1 Advanced Academic Formalused to name or group things based on what they are like.
serving to classify or identify something by its qualities rather than by its function or value.
ExampleThe scientist gave the new bird a descriptive name based on its red wings.
ExampleThe study adopted a purely descriptive framework to categorise the various social behaviours observed in the primate colony.
- classificatory
From Latin dēscriptīvus (“containing a full description”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated June 20, 2026