Meaning & use
descriptive label
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A word or short phrase that names what something is or what it is like.
Grammar: Countable: one descriptive label, two descriptive labels.
Patterns
- a descriptive label for something
- attach a descriptive label to something
- use something as a descriptive label
The museum put a descriptive label beside every painting.
'Fast-growing' is a descriptive label for the plant.
Scientists prefer a descriptive label to a number.
nouncountabledisapproving
A general word or category used to describe a person or group, often instead of a specific name.
Grammar: Often used when the label may be unfair or too simple.
Patterns
- a descriptive label for someone
- apply a descriptive label to a group
'Troublemaker' is a descriptive label that newspapers sometimes use unfairly.
He dislikes the descriptive label 'elderly' because it says nothing about him.
Teachers should avoid descriptive labels that limit a child.
Word forms
| plural | descriptive labels |
|---|
Common combinations
- attach a descriptive label
- The editor attached a descriptive label to each photo.
- a descriptive label for
- 'Coastal' is a useful descriptive label for these towns.
- use something as a descriptive label
- The report uses 'at risk' as a descriptive label.
- a clear descriptive label
- Every jar needs a clear descriptive label.
- a descriptive label on a product
- The descriptive label on the product lists all the ingredients.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tag
- More informal and often used on websites; a tag is usually a short keyword, while a descriptive label can be a whole phrase.
- caption
- A caption is text placed under a picture; a descriptive label names or classifies something rather than explaining a picture.
- name
- A name identifies one thing, whereas a descriptive label says what kind of thing it is.
Word family
- describe verb
- To say what someone or something is like.
- description noun
- A spoken or written account of what something is like.
- descriptively adverb
- In a way that describes something.
Commonly confused: descriptive label or prescriptive? descriptive label or title?
descriptive label vs prescriptive
'Descriptive' means describing how things are; 'prescriptive' means saying how they should be. A descriptive label records a fact, not a rule.
descriptive label vs title
A title is the official name of a work or job; a descriptive label is a word that classifies or describes.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'descriptive label' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Descriptive label' is a noun phrase, so it follows 'has' as the object. Option 0 wrongly uses it as a verb, and options 2 and 3 break the word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “descriptive label”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.