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Definition of "illative" [il•la•tive]

  • Of, relating to, or of the nature of an illation. (adjective)
  • Expressing or preceding an inference. Used of a word. (adjective)
  • Grammar Of, relating to, or being a grammatical case indicating motion toward or into in some languages, as in Finnish Helsinkiin, "to Helsinki.” (adjective)
  • A word or phrase, such as hence or for that reason, that expresses an inference. (noun)
  • See illation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "illative" in a sentence
  • "From that basic meaning, a sense of illative (ie. going into something) rather than inessive (ie. being in something) may sometimes surface secondarily where verbs of motion are used, such as in my above example with far."
  • "According to Johnson, traditional logic has focused too much on the illative core, though a rational arguer must pay as much attention to its dialectical tier."
  • "That this verse contains a conclusion, is evident from the illative particle"