English

Adjective

interrogative

1. (grammar) Asking or denoting a question: as, an interrogative phrase, pronoun, or point.
   • 1877: William Dwight Whitney, Essentials of English Grammar for the Use of Schools §470

     The regular place of the interrogative word, of whatever kind, is at the beginning of the sentence, or as near it as possible.

2. Pertaining to inquiry; questioning: as, an interrogative look or tone of voice.
   • 1847: Charles Sealsfield, Rambleton: A Romance of Fashionable Life in New-York during the Great Speculation of 1836 OCLC 12337689, page 127:

     Thus speaking, the good man regarded his lady with an interrogative look. "I do n't know, dear!" she replied kindly, and sighing again.

Synonyms

• examining
• inquiring
• investigative

Derived terms

• interrogatively
• interrogative accent
• interrogative judgement

Coordinate terms

• assertoric
• imperative

Translations

Noun

interrogative ‎(plural interrogatives)

1. (grammar) A word (pronoun, pronominal adjective, or adverb) implying interrogation, or used for asking a question: why, who, when, etc.
2. (typography, archaic) Synonym of question mark ⟨?⟩.
   • 1824, J. Johnson, Typographia:

     There be five manner of points and divisions most used among cunning men; the which if they be well used, make the sentence very light and easy to be understood, both to the reader and hearer: and they be these, virgil,—come,—parenthesis,—plain point,—interrogative.

   • 1842, F. Francillon, An Essay on Punctuation, page 9:

     Whoever introduced the several points, it seems that a full-point, a point called come, answering to our colon-point, a point called virgil answering to our comma-point, the parenthesis-points and interrogative-point, were used at the close of the fourteenth, or beginning of the fifteenth century.

3. (rare) A question; an interrogation.
   • 1819: Sir Walter Scott, A Legend of Montrose, xii

     "Who are you, sir, and what is your business?" demanded the Marquis... "That is a fair interrogative, my lord," answered Dalgetty.

Synonyms

• (punctuation mark): See question mark

Derived terms

• interrogative-point

Translations

Related terms

• interrogate
• interrogatedness
• interrogatee
• interrogation
• interrogator
• interrogatory
• (grammar) redditive

References

• interrogative in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

French

Adjective

interrogative

1. feminine singular of interrogatif

Italian

Adjective

interrogative f pl

1. feminine plural of interrogativo

Anagrams

• interrogatevi

Latin

Etymology

From interrogātīvus ‎(“interrogative”).

Adverb

interrogātīvē ‎(comparable interrogātīvius, superlative interrogātīvissimē)

1. interrogatively

Synonyms

• (interrogatively): interroganter

Related terms

References

• interrogative in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press