appositive

[ uh-poz-i-tiv ]

noun

1. a word or phrase in apposition.

adjective

1. placed in apposition.
2. (of an adjective or adjectival phrase) directly following the noun it modifies.

appositive

/ əˈpɒzɪtɪv /

adjective

1. grammar
   1. standing in apposition
   2. another word for nonrestrictive
2. of or relating to apposition

noun

1. an appositive word or phrase

Derived Forms

• apˈpositively, adverb

Other Words From

• ap·posi·tive·ly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of appositive¹

First recorded in 1685–95; apposit(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

Saunders loves to parody legal language, thick with appositive commas and capitalized terms, because he understands how that junk works at cross-purposes — it’s rigidly precise but designed mainly to cover things up.

From Washington Post

By contrast, GPT-3 has no advance knowledge about syntax: There are no human-programmed algorithms to ensure that its subjects and verbs are in agreement, or that a comma is inserted before an appositive.

From New York Times

The best modern sentences resemble Donne’s, with simple statements upfront, then a pileup, if need be, of clause upon appositive clause, clarifying, elaborating, potentially without cease — but casually, too, always ready to end.

From New York Times

She also has a notable fondness for the appositive oblique: “the animal wildness of it,” “the hot nothingness of it,” “the glorious spectacle of it,” “the rough gray infinity of it.”

From New York Times

We neglected to close off this appositive with a second comma.

From New York Times