Meaning & use

representative

noun·Academic

A person chosen or appointed to act, speak, or vote on behalf of another person or a group.

See it in a sentence

The union sent a representative to negotiate better wages with the factory's management team.

Each district elects one representative to the state legislature every two years.

A note on using this word

As an adjective, representative describes something typical of a larger group, as in a representative sample of voters.

Words with a similar meaning

delegatespokesperson

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. adjective

Typical of a class, group, or category, and therefore suitable as an example of it.

The survey used a representative sample of households from every income level in the city.

Make it your own

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