definite description

noun

1. a description that is modified by the definite article or a possessive, such as the woman in white or Rosemary's baby
2. a similar plural expression, such as the kings of Scotland

Example Sentences

He always left a confused and terrified witness to the killing—often a traumatized child, who was unable to provide a definite description of the murderer.

From Salon

At some point, people in the field of analytic philosophy, perhaps led by Keith Donnellan, picked up the habit of thinking about philosophers and martinis to examine the nature of truth: “Can the sentence ‘The man over there drinking Martini is a philosopher’ be true even though nothing satisfies the definite description?

From Slate

I can give you no definite description.

From Project Gutenberg

A mere repetition of a process, according to a definite description, has no more value than a repetition of a form of words in an ordinary school recitation.

From Project Gutenberg

Every preparatory command should convey a definite description of the exercise required; by doing so long explanations are avoided and the men will not be compelled to memorize the various movements.

From Project Gutenberg