Suggestive means hinting at something, often improper. A suggestive remark, suggestive of, mildly suggestive.
The sexual sense dominates in everyday use, but suggestive of is a neutral and very common formula in science and medicine — findings suggestive of infection means pointing towards it without proving it. Which sense is meant depends entirely on whether of follows. Note suggest; and that the Latin means to carry under.
1adjectivesuggestiveHinting at something improper.
“The comedian's suggestive jokes made some parents in the audience uncomfortable.”
2adjectivepointingPointing towards a conclusion.
“The results are suggestive, but we need a bigger study to be sure.”
suggestive is a quality of hinting.
Suggest plus -ive, from Latin suggerere — sub plus gerere, to carry. Gesture, digest and register come from the same carrying.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂eǵ-
Latin
suggestus
English
suggest
English, today
suggestive
Built from
From suggest + ive. suggest Coined based on Latin suggestus, perfect passive participle of suggerō (“bring up, bring under, lay beneath, furnish, supply, excite, advise, suggest”), from sub (“from below, under”) + gerō (“bear, carry”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA