instructive

adjective

in·​struc·​tive in-ˈstrək-tiv How to pronounce instructive (audio)
Synonyms of instructivenext
: carrying a lesson : enlightening
instructively adverb
instructiveness noun

Examples of instructive in a Sentence

an interesting and instructive lesson an instructive demonstration of the proper way to pack a suitcase so your clothes don't arrive in a mess
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.
That small moment proves disproportionately instructive to the film’s prevailing ethos, which is most interested in bodies as vehicles for tracing the friction between fluidity and permanence. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2026 The numbers behind the spend are what make the story instructive rather than anecdotal. Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 For American collectors — including a growing cohort from Maryland, where private collections increasingly intersect with institutional ambitions in Baltimore and the Washington corridor — the shift is instructive. Andrew S. Jacobson, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2026 More than a dozen Americans are living some version of that right now in a Nebraska quarantine facility — passengers from the MV Hondius, the cruise ship that is at the center of a small but instructive outbreak of Andes hantavirus. Craig Spencer, STAT, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for instructive

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of instructive was in 1611

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instructive. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

instructive

adjective
in·​struc·​tive in-ˈstrək-tiv How to pronounce instructive (audio)
: giving knowledge : helping to instruct or inform
an instructive experience
instructively adverb

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