representative.

1. typical of, or adequately reflecting, the wider group being considered

2. A person who acts or speaks on behalf of another person, group, or organization.

3. Relating to government or decision-making through delegates or elected representatives.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• representative sample
• representative example
• broadly representative

On the page

The survey used a sample representative of the region's adult population.

One vivid case is not necessarily representative.

The selected texts are broadly representative of the movement.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Academic. A representative sample resembles the target population in relevant respects; a large sample is not automatically representative. Comparative: more representative; superlative: most representative. Related noun: representativeness.