illustrative

[ ih-luhs-truh-tiv, il-uh-strey-tiv ]

adjective

1. serving to illustrate; explanatory:

   illustrative examples.

Other Words From

• il·lustra·tive·ly adverb
• nonil·lustra·tive adjective
• nonil·lustra·tive·ly adverb
• over·il·lustra·tive adjective
• over·il·lustra·tive·ly adverb
• self-il·lustra·tive adjective
• unil·lustra·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of illustrative¹

First recorded in 1635–45; illustrate + -ive

Example Sentences

In this illustrative example, the global index revealed a trend towards progress being made on social measures at the expense of biophysical measures of resilience.

From Science Daily

Broncos were ranked 24th in 2023's illustrative gradings - 4.38 points short of the top 12 - meaning that an extraordinary finish would have been necessary to even come close to retaining their top-flight place.

From BBC

An earlier version of this story contained an illustrative map of the English Channel containing an iceberg that was slightly over-sized.

From BBC

This exchange was illustrative of the night as a whole.

From BBC

Mr Swinney said his predecessor’s comments were illustrative of a “deep sense of anxiety” in Muslim communities.

From BBC

Related Words

• descriptive
• emblematic
• figurative
• revealing