adj. 1. Serving to identify; distinguishing or characteristic: the distinctive call of the hermit thrush. See Usage Note at distinct. 2. Distinguished or attractive: "Her forefinger tracked the cleft in his chin, and she thought how distinctive it made him look" (Joan Johnston). 3. Linguistics Phonemically relevant and capable of conveying a difference in meaning, as nasalization in the initial sound of mat versus bat. dis·tinctive·ly adv. dis·tinctive·ness n. |
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