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
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 25–75 basis point range should be read as an illustrative stress test, not as a point estimate derived from a structural model.
—
Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
Ephemera is so often illustrative of the inner life of a character, a direct, beating correlative of the contents of their hearts.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
San Francisco—which adopted Housing First in 2009—is illustrative, with 60 percent of its massive homelessness budget being spent on housing subsidies for the formerly homeless.
—Christopher Calton, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Their zone time in Game 6 was illustrative.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illustrative
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.
Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
Ephemera is so often illustrative of the inner life of a character, a direct, beating correlative of the contents of their hearts.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
San Francisco—which adopted Housing First in 2009—is illustrative, with 60 percent of its massive homelessness budget being spent on housing subsidies for the formerly homeless.
—Christopher Calton, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Their zone time in Game 6 was illustrative.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illustrative
Cite this Entry
“Illustrative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illustrative. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
illustrative
adjective
il·lus·tra·tive
il-ˈəs-trət-iv
: serving or meant to illustrate
illustrative examples
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
