Word
expressive
Phoneticsex·pres·sive, stress on the second syllable
US/ɪksˈpɹɛsɪv/
UK/ɛkspɹˈɛsɪv/
Definitions
01showing feelings clearly
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. showing your thoughts or feelings clearly, especially through your face or voice.
adj. effectively conveying thought, emotion, or meaning through non-verbal or verbal cues.
“The dancer had a very expressive face that told the whole story.”
“Her performance was remarkably expressive, conveying a depth of grief that resonated with the audience far more than the dialogue alone.”
Synonyms
02linguistic emotion
C1 · Advanced Science Technical
adj. showing the speaker's feelings or attitude in addition to the basic meaning of the words.
adj. conveying the speaker's emotions or attitudes beyond the literal or denotative meaning of an utterance.
“Using words like 'wonderful' makes your language more expressive.”
“The linguist argued that the expressive function of the particle was to signal the speaker's skepticism rather than to modify the noun itself.”
03range of ideas
C1 · Advanced Computing Technical
adj. able to represent many different ideas or complex concepts easily.
adj. capable of representing a wide range of ideas, concepts, or operations within a specific system or language.
“This new programming language is very expressive and lets you write less code.”
“The developers chose a more expressive syntax to allow for complex data manipulations that would be cumbersome in a more rigid language.”
Antonyms
04a word showing attitude
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical
n. a word or phrase that shows how the speaker feels about what they are saying.
n. a lexical item or phrase that functions to express the speaker's attitude toward the referent.
“In the sentence 'That poor dog', the word 'poor' is an expressive.”
“The study categorised various expressives used in political discourse to determine how subtle shifts in tone influenced voter perception.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Humans naturally switch to a warmer and more expressive way of speaking when talking to someone who may not fully understand us.” “She is not body positive, she declares, as she sets about her maelstrom of exercise, which ranges from boxing with a plastic swan to juddering, expressive movement.” Etymology
From Middle French expressif.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/expressive