indicative

indicative — adjective

1. serving as a piece of evidence that allows you to recognize or guess a particula

1.adjectiveintransitiveB2
Definition

serving as a piece of evidence that allows you to recognize or guess a particular situation, condition, or quality — for example, a child's shyness being indicative of anxiety in unfamiliar settings.

Example

Adina's red eyes were indicative of a long and sleepless night.

be indicative of [cause] — sign pointing to a reason

The sudden drop in sales is often indicative of deeper problems within a company.

Common collocations
  • indicative of
  • clearly indicative
  • strongly indicative
  • indicative of a problem
Synonyms
  • suggestive

    weaker connection, more open to interpretation

  • revealing

    stronger, implies something hidden has come to light

  • characteristic

    focuses on typical qualities rather than pointing to a hidden condition

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be + indicative + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Typically used in the construction 'be indicative of + noun phrase'. The subject is usually a measurable sign, statistic, symptom, or observable fact, and the object names the broader situation or condition it points to.

Common Mistakes

Her smile was indicative for happiness.
Her smile was indicative of happiness.
The adjective always takes the preposition 'of', never 'for'.
The symptoms indicate of a serious illness.' (confusing verb and adjective forms)
The symptoms are indicative of a serious illness.
The verb 'indicate' does not need 'of'; the adjective 'indicative' always does.

2. describing the basic verb form used to state a fact or ask a question in ordinar

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing the basic verb form used to state a fact or ask a question in ordinary speech, rather than to give an order (imperative) or talk about an unreal or wished-for situation (subjunctive).

Example

In English, the indicative mood is used for most everyday sentences like 'It is raining.'

indicative mood — used in everyday factual statements

The teacher asked the class to change each imperative sentence into the indicative form.

Common collocations
  • indicative mood
  • indicative verb
  • indicative form
Synonyms
  • declarative

    a narrower term that describes statements (not questions), while indicative covers both statements and questions

Antonyms
  • subjunctive

    the mood used for unreal, wished-for, or hypothetical situations

  • imperative

    the mood used for commands and requests

Grammar Patterns

indicative mood

indicative verb form

Usage Note

This sense is nearly always used attributively before a noun such as 'mood', 'verb', 'form', or 'sentence'. Unlike sense 1, it does not appear after a linking verb with 'of' (*'this verb is indicative' for the grammar sense is not standard).

Common Mistakes

Use the indicative mood when giving commands.
Use the imperative mood when giving commands.
The indicative states facts; the imperative gives orders.

indicative — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Indicative, suggestive, revealing, characteristic, and telling all describe something that gives information about something else, but they differ in strength and focus. Indicative is the most neutral and factual — it is often used in analysis or reporting, as in 'the latest figures are indicative of economic recovery.' Suggestive implies a weaker, more open-ended connection, hinting at a possibility without proving it: 'his comments were suggestive of deeper concerns.' Revealing is stronger, implying that something hidden has been brought to light: 'a revealing interview showed the actor's true feelings.' Characteristic focuses on what is typical of a person or group: 'her patience is characteristic of experienced teachers.' Telling suggests a small detail that exposes a significant truth: 'the fact that he avoided eye contact was telling.' Use indicative for evidence-based claims; suggestive for speculation; revealing for disclosures; characteristic for typical traits; and telling for meaningful small details.

indicative ↗suggestiverevealingcharacteristic ↗telling

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

  • of (with the adjective sense)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Indicative comes from Latin 'indicativus', meaning 'pointing out' or 'showing'. This word was formed from 'indicare' (to point out, to show), which combines 'in-' (toward) with 'dicare' (to proclaim, to point). Latin grammarians used 'modus indicativus' for the verb mood that 'states' or 'points out' facts, and the term entered English through French 'indicatif' in the 15th century.