being or characteristic of government by representation in which citizens exercise power through elected officers and representatives; "representative government as defined by Abraham Lincoln is government of the people, by the people, for the people"
standing for something else; "the bald eagle is representative of the United States"
serving to represent or typify; "representative moviegoers"; "a representative modern play"
some situation or event that is thought about; "he kept drifting off the topic"; "he had been thinking about the subject for several years"; "it is a matter for the police"
the position of greatest importance or advancement; the leading position in any movement or field; "the Cotswolds were once at the forefront of woollen manufacturing in England"; "the idea of motion was always to the forefront of his mind and central to his philosophy"