Meaning & use
evocative
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind, often in an artistic or indirect way.
Grammar: Gradable: more evocative, most evocative.
Patterns
- evocative of something
- evocative imagery
- an evocative smell
The old photograph was evocative of a childhood spent by the sea.
Her poetry is deeply evocative, painting vivid pictures with just a few words.
The scent of pine was evocative of winter holidays.
Word forms
| comparative | more evocative |
|---|---|
| superlative | most evocative |
Common combinations
- evocative of
- The music was evocative of a rainy afternoon in Paris.
- deeply evocative
- The film's deeply evocative scenes stayed with me for days.
- evocative language
- The author uses evocative language to describe the landscape.
- evocative memory
- That song is an evocative memory of my teenage years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- suggestive
- Suggests ideas indirectly, often with a hint of something improper; evocative is usually positive and artistic.
- redolent
- Literary and often followed by 'of'; it can mean smelling of something, while evocative focuses on memories or feelings.
- reminiscent
- Means reminding you of something; evocative is stronger and more about stirring emotions or images.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: evocative or evocative vs. provocative?
evocative vs evocative vs. provocative
Provocative means causing anger or thought, often deliberately; evocative means bringing memories or feelings to mind.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'evocative' is followed by 'of' when naming what is recalled. The other prepositions are not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “evocative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.