demonstrative
/dɪˈmɑn.stɹə.tɪv/adjective, noun
demonstrative is spelled D-E-M-O-N-S-T-R-A-T-I-V-E: 13 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, demonstrative means “That serves to demonstrate, show or prove” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in demonstrative?
| Letters | 13: D-E-M-O-N-S-T-R-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,363rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is demonstrative?
Demonstrative appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce demonstrative?
- UK /dɪˈmɒn.stɹə.tɪv/
- UK /ˈdɛm.ən.stɹeɪ.tɪv/
- US /dɪˈmɑn.stɹə.tɪv/
Demonstrative has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-demonstrative.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of demonstrative
- more demonstrative comparative
- most demonstrative superlative
- demonstratives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does demonstrative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That serves to demonstrate, show or prove.
demonstrative evidence
- 2
Given to open displays of emotion.
- 3
That specifies the thing or person referred to.
noun
- 1
A demonstrative adjective.
- 2
A demonstrative pronoun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate demonstrative?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of demonstrative: dem..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Demonstrative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | démonstratif |
| German | demonstrativ , hinweisend |
| Portuguese | demonstrativo, demonstrador, ilustrativo |
| Spanish | demostrativo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does demonstrative come from?
From Middle English demonstratif, from Middle French démonstratif, from Latin dēmōnstrātīvus. Equivalent to demonstrate + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).