How to Use illustrative in a Sentence

illustrative

adjective
  • That up-and-down series of events was illustrative of how the talks moved.
    — Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
  • But last night was illustrative of his season so far.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Their zone time in Game 6 was illustrative.
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • There are two stories in two different states that are illustrative of what that means.
    — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 16 Oct. 2017
  • The other films were illustrative of how truth can be compromised in its retelling.
    — John Bleasdale, Variety, 8 Dec. 2022
  • Pieces of that figure were illustrative, something that was not made crystal clear at the time.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 16 Dec. 2018
  • Marx claimed that the group was illustrative of how often adults cross the border with children who are not theirs.
    — Tyler Olson, Fox News, 24 Apr. 2021
  • The fact that this has been the World Cup of the set piece, penalty kick and own goal is illustrative.
    — Brian Straus, SI.com, 8 July 2018
  • The final day of racing was illustrative of the event’s spirit.
    — Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2021
  • The clip is constructed from durable acrylic and features a fun illustrative pickle that keeps hair in place.
    — Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023
  • The last one, perhaps, is not only the most convincing but the most illustrative.
    — New York Times, 8 July 2022
  • Deere’s fresh numbers and commentary will be illustrative of the effects so far.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 11 May 2025
  • Our 10 most popular baking recipes of the year are illustrative of that range.
    — Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2021
  • Enlarge / Squeeze where the illustrative green dots are to mute and unmute yourself.
    — Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 5 June 2023
  • The most illustrative example of how this has played out in the last year might well be Narragansett.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2021
  • No detail was overlooked, as even the milk chocolate at turndown had illustrative art on its wrapping.
    — Sucheta Rawal, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
  • At a point in the river where boats can go no farther, there are five islands that contain some of the world's largest and most illustrative rock art.
    — Dr Philip Riris, National Geographic, 7 Dec. 2017
  • The way the Jaguars and Rams arrived at the top of the league is illustrative of the coming coaching carousel.
    — Adam Kilgore, chicagotribune.com, 19 Dec. 2017
  • One of the most illustrative examples of the difference has to do with cocoa powder.
    — Washington Post, 21 June 2021
  • In terms of intangibles, the head-to-head matchup was illustrative in many ways, affirming what makes each player tick on the court.
    — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, 29 Jan. 2018
  • Whether myth or not, the notion that lemmings will follow a herd off cliffs — an old Wall Street metaphor — is illustrative.
    — Nancy Tengler, USA TODAY, 7 June 2021
  • In broader terms, the summer of 2023 is quite illustrative.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • At the same time, the episode was also entirely illustrative of how The Discourse had evolved.
    — Nathaniel Friedman, The New Republic, 21 Oct. 2019
  • The episodes are illustrative of the high stakes of off-year elections in small communities that typically draw a low turnout.
    — oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2021
  • The space brawl is illustrative of the modern state of American human spaceflight in a couple of ways.
    — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2021
  • But the gestures and dialogue are far more illustrative of the era and the art of TV comedy.
    — John Anderson, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2017
  • That hypocrisy is illustrative of Bondi’s time as attorney general from day one.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The data behind this stats is illustrative — certainly not an exact science.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Maps may show metro lines in different colors, but that’s usually just for illustrative purposes.
    — Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2026
  • This is why, when healthy, Neal routinely ranks among the league leaders in stops (which is more illustrative of good run defense play than tackles) among safeties.
    — John Owning, Dallas News, 20 Mar. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illustrative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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