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expressive

[ik-spres-iv] / ɪkˈsprɛs ɪv /


Usage

What are other ways to say expressive? The adjective expressive suggests conveying, or being capable of conveying, a thought, intention, emotion, etc., in an effective or vivid manner: an expressive gesture. Meaningful and significant imply an underlying and unexpressed thought whose existence is plainly shown although its precise nature is left to conjecture. Meaningful implies a secret and intimate understanding between the persons involved: Meaningful looks passed between them. Significant suggests conveying important or hidden meaning: On hearing this statement, he gave the officers a significant glance. Suggestive implies an indirect or covert conveying of a meaning, sometimes mentally stimulating, sometimes verging on impropriety or indecency: a suggestive story or remark.

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.

See Examples For:

"They're travelling at such pace that actually the riders' hair is blown back in quite an expressive cartoonish way, to show how fast they're moving".

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

His best work tunneled into life’s darkest spaces to excavate ideas about our fears and obsessions, often reflected through dazzling practical effects that matched the naturalism of his greatest feature: a singularly expressive, malleable face.

From Salon Jul. 17, 2026

All of this is familiar from before, but robbed of the expressive capacity of animation it ends up feeling considerably more wooden.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 9, 2026

They’re expressive of their times without being showily edgy.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 20, 2026

The same full lips, the same thick eyebrows, the same expressive eyes.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott




Vocabulary lists containing expressive


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