Skip to main content
verbal description

verbal description

1 4.2
An explanation of something using words rather than pictures
  • noun
  • /ˈvɜrbəl dɪˈskrɪpʃən/
translation icon : descripción verbal
  • In many instances, museums offer docent-led or recorded tours that read the wall texts and provide other verbal descriptions.
  • provide a verbal description
  • verbal description of the behavior
  • students' verbal descriptions

We started from this verbal description of like drawing pieces of paper out of a hat and you know, that have different pizza toppings on it.

Examples

  • Some of the names also had a picture or a short verbal description attached.

    Blog text (26)
  • Half the participants also provided verbal descriptions of how they solved problems after each trial.

    Academic text (2018)
  • OK, I think it's much harder to remember the terms in this than to remember this verbal description of what we want.

  • Users select a country and are provided with a brief verbal description of music found there.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Also part of "Introduction to Classical Music," this site offers a verbal description of instrument families and individual instruments.

    Academic text (1999)
  • In other cases, musicians rely on verbal descriptions to communicate about music.

    Academic text (1990)
  • When I want a verbal description of something, I tend to choose people who are good talkers.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Qualitative studies, on the other hand, offer more of a verbal description with little measurement.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Some music educators have investigated listening skills by examining students' verbal descriptions of the music they hear.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The teacher provided a clear verbal description of the experiment so that all students could understand the procedure.

Synonyms

statement
vsverbal description
  • Formal
1.3

A clear report given in speech or writing, often to officials

is more about representing or explaining something rather than asserting facts
description
vsverbal description
549 1.0

Words that tell what someone or something is like

is the same but stresses using words rather than images or symbols
characterization
vsverbal description
  • US
64 4.4

A description of the main qualities of a person or thing in a clear, detailed way

is more about general representation rather than listing distinctive traits
wording
vsverbal description
57 3.4

The way words are used to express an idea

is about content and representation rather than only how words are chosen
sketch
vsverbal description
56 3.5

A short account that gives the main points about something

is a fuller account rather than a brief outline or summary
depiction
vsverbal description
25 4.4

A description using words that shows what something is like

is expressed only in words rather than in actual pictures or symbols
exposition
vsverbal description
16 5.5

A clear explanation of an idea or subject that makes it easy to understand

is more general, offering a simple verbal account not a long formal analysis
word picture
vsverbal description
  • Literature
2 4.2

A clear description that makes you imagine a scene

is more general, focusing on explanation or representation rather than vivid imagery
to gloss
vsverbal description
  • Specialized
1 5.8

To explain a word or phrase in a text

is broader, giving a full account or representation rather than a short word note
delineation
vsverbal description
  • Formal
1 6.8

A clear description that shows how something looks or feels

is less vivid and more general, focusing on representation over detail
verbalization
vsverbal description
  • US
1 5.6

Putting thoughts or feelings into words so others can understand them

is a single explanatory account rather than the general act of expressing ideas

How Detailed

exhaustiveness
  • Formal
7.5
detailing
1 4.1
verbal description
1 4.2
summary
3.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

verbal + description

The meaning is directly compositional: 'verbal' (using words) modifies 'description' (a depiction), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a description given in words rather than images. This is a literal, cross-linguistically common construction and therefore immediately accessible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Verbal description comes from the simple image of using the word verbal, meaning 'words', to make a description of something instead of a picture, so it now means 'to explain something using words rather than pictures'.