(of an adjective形容词) coming after a verb such as be, become, get, seem, look. Many adjectives, for example old can be either predicative as in The man is very old, or attributive as in an old man. Some, like asleep, can only be predicative.作表语的，谓语性的（例如 asleep，用于 be、become、get、seem、look 等动词后；与 attributive 相对）Topics Languagec2Oxford Collocations DictionaryPredicative is used with these nouns: See full entry Word Originmid 19th cent.: from Latin praedicativus, from praedicat- ‘declared’ (in medieval Latin ‘predicated’), from the verb praedicare, from prae ‘beforehand’ + dicare ‘make known’.