indicative about

USAGE SUMMARY

"indicative about" is not a correct or commonly used term in written English.
The phrase "indicative of" is more commonly used to mean something that shows or suggests a particular characteristic or idea. Example: His refusal to help his friend in need was indicative of his selfish nature.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

It's tremendously indicative about humanity, as well as having immense pace.

The Guardian - Books

The results were more indicative about where each team is at this point of the season.

The Guardian - Sport

"It is indicative about the last four years of a failed commission process," said Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The New York Times

Our experiences with this intervention will be indicative about the suitability, feasibility and benefits of this approach for future interventions in other high-risk groups, such as Familial Combined Hypercholesterolemia (FCH) and diabetes.

BMC Public Health

Its absolute value is indicative about the direction of the chemical reaction.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Twitter was slightly more indicative: tweets about an attempt to target Sunday's Hackney Carnival were spotted by police and the event was abruptly cancelled.

The Guardian

Manor cites a possibly apocryphal, but indicative, story about a delay in tea being served at a political gathering in their Colombo house, to the host's irritation.

The Guardian

While it is unrealistic to evaluate every possible lighting condition that may potentially occur in the vehicle cab in service, a pragmatic and practical approach is taken to provide a good level of indicative information about the cab design's likely glare performance.

Applied Ergonomics

The map based on species richness has a weaker compliance with the botanical quality of nature, however, the model can more easily be applied to a wider area of the world, since indicative data about species richness is available on a global scale.

Journal of Cleaner Production

Bailey gives a hint of the lay of the land in an impolite but indicative remark about Southern child rearing, made by a British traveler in 1746: "They suffer them too much to prowl amongst the young Negroes, which insensibly causes them to imbibe their Manners and broken Speech".

The New York Times - Books

In most situations, however, the indicative information about the location, shape and size of the targets is required [1, 3].

International Journal of Geo-Engineering

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "indicative of" instead of "indicative about". The preposition "of" is grammatically correct and widely accepted in standard English.

Common error

Avoid using "about" after "indicative". The correct preposition to use is "of". For example, say "The data is indicative of a trend" not "The data is indicative about a trend".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "indicative about" functions incorrectly as an adjective phrase aiming to describe something as a sign or indication. However, it deviates from standard English usage, as shown by Ludwig, which suggests the correct form is "indicative of."

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "indicative about" appears in some contexts, it is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, the correct and widely accepted form is "indicative of". The phrase attempts to function as an adjective phrase, but its non-standard usage undermines its effectiveness. Always opt for "indicative of" to ensure clarity and grammatical correctness in your writing. Using alternatives like "suggestive of", "representative of", or "demonstrative of" can also enhance the precision of your expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

indicative of

Replaces "about" with the correct preposition "of", improving grammatical accuracy.

suggestive of

Focuses on the idea of hinting or implying something.

representative of

Highlights the aspect of being a typical example.

demonstrative of

Emphasizes the act of clearly showing or proving something.

reflective of

Highlights the aspect of mirroring or showing something indirectly.

evidence of

Shifts the focus to providing proof or signs of something.

a sign of

Simplifies the phrase to a more direct expression of indication.

an indication of

Nominalizes the phrase, making it more formal.

a clue about

Suggests a hint or piece of information that helps solve a problem.

telling of

Emphasizes that something reveals information, often unintentionally.

FAQs

What does "indicative of" mean?

The phrase "indicative of" means serving as a sign or indication of something. It suggests that something points to or reveals a particular fact or situation.

How to use "indicative of" in a sentence?

You can use "indicative of" to show a relationship between two things where one suggests the presence or nature of the other. For example, "The increase in sales is "indicative of" growing consumer confidence."

What can I say instead of "indicative of"?

You can use alternatives like "suggestive of", "representative of", or "demonstrative of" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "indicative of" or "indicative about"?

"Indicative of" is the correct and grammatically accepted phrase. "Indicative about" is not standard English. Always use "of" after "indicative."