Representative
/ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv/
Definitions
2 meaningsA person who is elected or appointed to act or speak for others.
/ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv/
A person elected or appointed to act or speak for others.
The representative from our district will vote on the new law.
💡 Simply: Imagine a group of friends wanting to order pizza. They pick one person to tell the pizza place what everyone wants. That person is their representative! They speak for the group.
👶 For kids: Someone who speaks for a group of people, like in government or a club.
More Examples
A union representative negotiated the new contract for the workers.
Each state in the United States has representatives in Congress.
How It's Used
"The representative voted in favor of the bill."
"The sales representative is responsible for customer relations."
Serving to represent something; being a typical example of a larger group or category.
/ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv/
Serving to represent something.
The museum displayed a representative collection of ancient artifacts.
💡 Simply: Think of a cookie that shows you what the whole batch will taste like. If it's chewy and delicious, it's a 'representative' cookie of the batch!
👶 For kids: Being a good example of something, like a toy that looks just like the real thing.
More Examples
The research team collected a representative sample of the population.
This is a representative image of the artist's style.
How It's Used
"The painting is a representative example of his early work."
"She gave a representative sample of the data."
Synonyms
Agent
Ambassador
Delegate
Proxy
Characteristic
Exemplary
Illustrative
Indicative
Idioms & expressions
in a representative capacity
Acting on behalf of a group or organization.
"She spoke at the conference in a representative capacity for the company."
From Middle English, from Medieval Latin *repraesentativus*, from *repraesentare* 'to represent'. The word evolved from legal and political contexts, referring to someone acting on behalf of others.
Historically used in legal and political contexts since the 15th century, and later adopted for business and other fields.
Memory tip
Think of a person who 're-presents' the views of a larger group.