Meanings
adjectivedemonstrative (comparative more demonstrative, superlative most demonstrative)
comparative more demonstrative · superlative most demonstrative
- That serves to demonstrate, show or prove.
demonstrative evidence
1 more example
an argument necessary and demonstrative
[1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page) - Given to open displays of emotion.
demonstrative eloquence
1783, Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres1 more example
He had rather a contempt for demonstrative people, arising from his medical insight into the consequences to health of uncontrolled feeling.
1865, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, Wives and Daughters, Chapter III - grammarThat specifies the thing or person referred to.
noundemonstrative (plural demonstratives)
plural demonstratives
- A demonstrative word
- grammarA demonstrative adjective.
- grammarA demonstrative pronoun.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivegiven to or marked by the open expression of emotion
Opposite
adjectiveserving to demonstrate
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēmōnstrātīvus
- Middle Frenchdémonstratif
- Middle Englishdemonstratif
- Englishdemonstrative
From Middle English demonstratif, from Middle French démonstratif, from Latin dēmōnstrātīvus. Equivalent to demonstrate + -ive.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek δεικτικός
- δεικτικός (deiktikós)(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Bulgarian показателен, демонстративен
- показателен (pokazatelen)that serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- демонстративен (demonstrativen)that serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- нагледен (nagleden)given to open displays of emotion
- показателен (pokazatelen)(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Catalan demostratiu, demostratiu
- demostratiuthat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- demostratiu(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Chinese Mandarin 指示词
- 指示词 (zhǐshìcí)demonstrative word
Czech ukazovací
- ukazovací(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Danish demonstrativ
- demonstrativ(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Finnish valaiseva, demonstratiivinen
- valaisevathat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- demonstratiivinenthat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- avomielinengiven to open displays of emotion
- avoingiven to open displays of emotion
- demonstratiivinen(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
- demonstratiividemonstrative word
French démonstratif, démonstratif
- démonstratifthat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- démonstratif(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
German demonstrativ, hinweisend
- demonstrativthat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- hinweisend(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
- demonstrativ(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Greek εκδηλωτικός, δεικτικός
- εκδηλωτικός (ekdilotikós)given to open displays of emotion
- δεικτικός (deiktikós)(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Icelandic ábendingar-
- ábendingar-(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Irish taispeántach, taispeántach
- taispeántach(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
- taispeántachdemonstrative word
Japanese 指示詞, 指示語
- 指示詞 (shijishi)demonstrative word
- 指示語 (shijigo)demonstrative word
Korean 지시사, 지시어
- 지시사 (jisisa)demonstrative word
- 지시어 (jisieo)demonstrative word
Norwegian Bokmål påpekende
- påpekende(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Polish wskazujący, dowodzący
- wskazującythat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- dowodzącythat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- pokazującythat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- demonstrującythat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- rzeczowythat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- wylewnygiven to open displays of emotion
- wskazujący(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
- słowo wskazującedemonstrative word
Portuguese demonstrativo, demonstrador
- demonstrativothat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- demonstradorthat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- ilustrativothat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- demonstrativo(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Romanian demonstrativ, demonstrativ
- demonstrativthat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- demonstrativ(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Russian демонстрати́вный, показа́тельный
- демонстрати́вный (demonstratívnyj)that serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- показа́тельный (pokazátelʹnyj)that serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- нагля́дный (nagljádnyj)given to open displays of emotion
- указа́тельный (ukazátelʹnyj)(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Spanish demostrativo, demostrativo
- demostrativothat serves to demonstrate, show or prove
- demostrativo(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Swahili kionyeshi
- kionyeshi(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Vietnamese đại từ chỉ định
- đại từ chỉ định(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Welsh dangosolyn
- dangosolyn(grammar) that specifies the thing or person referred to
Cite this entry
APA
demonstrative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demonstrative
MLA
“demonstrative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demonstrative. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “demonstrative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demonstrative.
Source: demonstrative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.