Meaning & use
gesticulations
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“gesticulations” is a form of “gesticulation”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountable
Energetic movements of the hands and arms, often made while speaking to express or emphasize something.
Grammar: Usually plural; a single movement is a gesticulation.
Patterns
- gesticulations of something
- with gesticulations
He made wild gesticulations as he described the accident.
Her gesticulations were so dramatic that everyone in the room turned to watch.
The teacher's gesticulations helped the students understand the difficult concept.
Word forms
| singular | gesticulation |
|---|
Common combinations
- wild gesticulations
- His wild gesticulations made it hard to concentrate on his words.
- frantic gesticulations
- The conductor's frantic gesticulations went unnoticed by the orchestra.
- make gesticulations
- She made gesticulations to signal that we should be quiet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gestures
- Gestures is the general word for any movement of the body to communicate; gesticulations is more specific and suggests energetic or dramatic hand and arm movements.
- signals
- Signals are usually deliberate and systematic, like hand signals in traffic; gesticulations are more spontaneous and expressive.
Word family
- gesticulate verb
- To make energetic hand and arm movements, especially while speaking.
- gesture noun
- A movement of the body or hands to express an idea or feeling.
Commonly confused: gesticulations or gestures?
gesticulations vs gestures
Gestures is the more common and neutral word; gesticulations often implies exaggerated or frantic movement.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'gesticulations' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Gesticulations is a plural noun meaning energetic hand movements. Option B uses it correctly as a plural subject. Option An is wrong because the article 'a' requires the singular 'gesticulation'. Option C uses a plural noun as a verb; the verb is 'gesticulate'. Option D confuses the word with 'stipulations' (conditions in a contract).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gesticulations”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.