''demonstrative'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260904152658-00-⌔

demonstrative - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Adjective

demonstrative (comparative more demonstrative, superlative most demonstrative)

• That serves to demonstrate, show or prove.
  • ✤ * demonstrative evidence*
  • ✤ *an argument necessary and demonstrative *¹
• Given to open displays of emotion.
  • ✤ * demonstrative eloquence*²
  • ✤ He had rather a contempt for demonstrative people, arising from his medical insight into the consequences to health of uncontrolled feeling.³
• (grammar) That specifies the thing or person referred to.

Noun

demonstrative (plural demonstratives)

• (grammar) A demonstrative word
  • A demonstrative adjective.
  • A demonstrative pronoun.

Etymology

From Middle English demonstratif, from Middle French démonstratif, from Latin dēmōnstrātīvus. Equivalent to demonstrate +‎ -ive.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /dɪˈmɒn.stɹə.tɪv/, (nonstandard)/ˈdɛm.ən.stɹeɪ.tɪv/
• Audio (Southern England): 🔊
• (General American) IPA: /dɪˈmɑn.stɹə.tɪv/, [dɪˈmɑn.stɹə.ɾɪv],/dəˈmɑn.stɹə.tɪv/, [dəˈmɑn.stɹə.ɾɪv], (nonstandard)/ˈdɛm.ən.stɹeɪ.tɪv/

Printed 2026-09-04.

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Footnotes

1. [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC,: ↩

2. 1783, Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres: ↩

3. 1865, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, Wives and Daughters, Chapter III: ↩