adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ɪnˈstɹʌktɪv/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N S T R AH1 K T IH0 V
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Conveying knowledge, information or instruction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
A case in the Finnish and Estonian languages. It expresses the means or the instrument used to perform an action.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
serving to instruct or enlighten or inform
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: informative
Antonyms: uninstructive
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English instruct Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Old French -ifbor. Middle English -yf English -ive English instructive From instruct + -ive.
Across languages
Translations
30 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
инструктивен
(instruktiven)
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Bulgarian:
поучителен
(poučitelen)
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Catalan:
instructiu
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Dutch:
instructief
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Dutch:
leerrijk
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Dutch:
leerzaam
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Finnish:
opettava
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Finnish:
opettavainen
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
French:
instructif
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
German:
lehrreich
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
German:
aufschlussreich
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
German:
belehrend
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Hungarian:
tanulságos
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Italian:
istruttivo
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Italian:
instruttivo
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Norwegian Bokmål:
lærerik
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Norwegian Nynorsk:
lærerik
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Russian:
поучи́тельный
(poučítelʹnyj)
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Spanish:
instructivo
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Spanish:
aleccionador
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Ukrainian:
повча́льний
(povčálʹnyj)
— Conveying knowledge, information or instruction
Czech:
instruktiv
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
Estonian:
viisiütlev
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
Estonian:
instruktiiv
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
Finnish:
instruktiivi
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
Finnish:
keinonto
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
French:
instructif
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
German:
Instruktiv
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
Russian:
инструкти́вный паде́ж
(instruktívnyj padéž)
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
Russian:
инструкти́в
(instruktív)
— Case expressing means or instrument used to perform an action
