illustrative

adjective

il·​lus·​tra·​tive i-ˈlə-strə-tiv 

also

ˈi-lə-ˌstrā- 

: serving, tending, or designed to illustrate

illustrative examples

art that is illustrative of provincial life

illustratively adverb

Synonyms

• elucidative
• exegetical
• exegetic
• explanative
• explanatory
• explicative
• explicatory
• expositive
• expository
• illuminative
• interpretative
• interpretive

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

The History for Everyone post is illustrative of a lot of the content that’s come across my feed — uncanny, bizarre, but also seemingly benign. —Clare Duffy, CNN, 3 Sep. 2024

Education is an illustrative example: universities sometimes offer more robust aid packages to students from diverse backgrounds or with lower socioeconomic status to maximize fairness and diversity. —Webb Wright, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2024

But although this episode is illustrative of the difficulties of Red Sea security, the crisis extends far beyond the trouble emanating from Yemen. —Johnnie Carson, Foreign Affairs, 19 July 2024

Take rock-paper-scissors as an illustrative example. —Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 16 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

illustrative

adjective

il·​lus·​tra·​tive il-ˈəs-trət-iv 

: serving or meant to illustrate

illustrative examples