illustrative

adjective

il·​lus·​tra·​tive i-ˈlə-strə-tiv How to pronounce illustrative (audio)
also
ˈi-lə-ˌstrā- How to pronounce illustrative (audio)
Synonyms of illustrativenext
: serving, tending, or designed to illustrate
illustrative examples
art that is illustrative of provincial life
illustratively adverb

Synonyms of illustrative

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of illustrative in a Sentence

an illustrative analogy in which the relationship between God and humanity is likened to that between a shepherd and his flock
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These illustrative figures exclude initial implementation and later consequences of undetected errors. — Swapnil Upganlawar, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026 As a character Chigurh is particularly illustrative of this worldview, often reducing the fate of other characters to a coin toss. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026 Statistics or dollar amounts are supported but illustrative, not promises. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026 The widespread response to the disaster is illustrative of the relationship between Nepal’s public and private sectors in this time of transition. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for illustrative

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of illustrative was in 1643

Browse Nearby Words

illustrational
illustrative
illustrator
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illustrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illustrative. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

illustrative

adjective
il·​lus·​tra·​tive il-ˈəs-trət-iv How to pronounce illustrative (audio)
: serving or meant to illustrate
illustrative examples
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All