WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
in•struc•tive /ɪnˈstrʌktɪv/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- serving to instruct:an instructive lesson on hotel management.
in•struc•tive
(in struk′tiv),USA pronunciation adj.
in•struc′tive•ly, adv.
in•struc′tive•ness, n.
- serving to instruct or inform;
conveying instruction, knowledge, or information;
enlightening. - Grammarnoting a case, as in Finnish, whose distinctive function is to indicate means by which.
- instruct + -ive 1605–15
in•struc′tive•ness, n.