elaborate

American  

[ih-lab-er-it, ih-lab-uh-rayt] / ɪˈlæb ər ɪt, ɪˈlæb əˌreɪt /

adjective

1. 

   worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness.

   elaborate preparations; elaborate care.

   Synonyms:

   painstaking

   Antonyms:

   simple

2. marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated; ornate.

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verb (used with object)

• elaborates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• elaborated,
  past participle,  past
• elaborating
  present participle

1. to work out carefully or minutely; develop to perfection.

   Synonyms:

   improve, refine

2. to add details to; expand.

3. to produce or develop by labor.

4. Physiology. to convert (food, plasma, etc.) by means of chemical processes into a substance more suitable for use within the body.

verb (used without object)

• elaborates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• elaborated,
  past participle,  past
• elaborating
  present participle

1. to add details in writing, speaking, etc.; give additional or fuller treatment (usually followed by on orupon ).

   to elaborate upon a theme or an idea.

   Synonyms:

   improve, refine

elaborate British  

/ ɪˈlæbərətɪv /

adjective

1. planned or executed with care and exactness; detailed

2. marked by complexity, ornateness, or detail

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verb

1. (intr; usually foll by on or upon) to add information or detail (to an account); expand (upon)

2. (tr) to work out in detail; develop

3. (tr) to make more complicated or ornate

4. (tr) to produce by careful labour; create

5. (tr) physiol to change (food or simple substances) into more complex substances for use in the body

Synonym Usage

Elaborate, labored, studied apply to that which is worked out in great detail. That which is elaborate is characterized by great, sometimes even excessive, minuteness of detail: elaborate preparations for a banquet. That which is labored is marked by excessive, often forced or uninspired, effort: a labored style of writing. That which is studied is accomplished with care and deliberation, and is done purposely, sometimes even having been rehearsed: a studied pose.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• elaborateness
  noun
• elaboration
  noun
• elaborator
  noun
• nonelaborateness
  noun
• superelaborateness
  noun
• unelaborateness
  noun
• elaborative
  adjective
• nonelaborate
  adjective
• nonelaborating
  adjective
• nonelaborative
  adjective
• quasi-elaborate
  adjective
• self-elaborated
  adjective
• superelaborate
  adjective
• unelaborate
  adjective
• unelaborated
  adjective
• well-elaborated
  adjective
• elaborately
  adverb
• nonelaborately
  adverb
• quasi-elaborately
  adverb
• superelaborately
  adverb
• unelaborately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• elaborating
  present
• elaborated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• elaborate
  simple
• elaborates
  simple
• have elaborated
  perfect
• has elaborated
  perfect
• am elaborating
  progressive
• are elaborating
  progressive
• is elaborating
  progressive
• have been elaborating
  perfect progressive
• has been elaborating
  perfect progressive

Past

• elaborated
  simple
• had elaborated
  perfect
• was elaborating
  progressive
• were elaborating
  progressive
• had been elaborating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will elaborate
  simple
• will have elaborated
  perfect
• will be elaborating
  progressive
• will have been elaborating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of elaborate

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin ēlabōrātus (past participle of ēlabōrāre ) worked out, equivalent to ē- intensive prefix + labōr- “work” + -ātus adjective suffix; see e- ¹, -ate ¹

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Explanation

Use the adjective elaborate when you want to describe how something is very detailed or especially complicated, like a devilish prank planned out weeks in advance. The adjective elaborate is used to describe when something is planned with a lot of attention to detail or when something is intricate or detailed itself. The word comes from the Latin elaborare, which means "to produce by labor" but it has come to mean a lot of labor, especially work that is very complicated and precise. To imagine this word, think of a painting with lots of flourishes or a story with many sub-plots and characters that all fit together in extensive ways.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elaborate elaborates elaborated elaborating

We’ve already accepted a surprisingly elaborate set of conditions for saving money on groceries.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

These different frequencies, known as "harmonics," create a more elaborate wave pattern than the one typically observed at Earth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

The elaborate art of painted-wood furniture from in and around present-day Hungary is on display in objects like a richly decorated 19th-century dining set.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

While she refused to elaborate on whether the UK government and royals should pursue slavery reparations, she said the issue would be on the table in St John's.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Gesturing to the short-haired woman to raise the curtain, he strode to the exact center of the stage and took elaborate bows as the curtain came up.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Of the new album, one of its highlights is the buoyant corrido “Terca,” which elaborates on a short story in the memoir about Venegas’ move to Mexico City.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

“Face to Face” elaborates on this possible evidence as well as leads Peterson and his supporters claim paint a different picture from that which the prosecution used to secure Peterson’s conviction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024

Gray elaborates by pointing out that when climate change raises sea levels, the impact will not be limited to people living on the coasts.

From Salon ● May 24, 2024

Dr Neil Scott, medical adviser to the British Boxing Board of Control and consultant head and neck surgeon elaborates.

From BBC ● May 8, 2024

The meadow lark, with three hundred notes to work with, arranges these in phrases of three to six notes and elaborates fifty types of song.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Mr. Varadarajan elaborated that Ms. Tisch “has been a prominent administrator in the city since February 2014, when she became the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for information technology.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Grynkewich elaborated what he called his "theory of victory" to defeat an armed attack on the alliance as worries surge over what Western officials call a "hybrid" campaign of sabotage and interference by Moscow.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Davis elaborated further on his role in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

On Friday, the Federal Reserve’s chair, Kevin Warsh, elaborated on his plan to curb inflation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Hess elaborated his ideas in an important paper, which was almost universally ignored.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Putin received the proposals "with understanding", the Kremlin said, without elaborating on what the proposals were or the Russian president's response.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Xi said they had common understanding on issues without elaborating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

They point to management comments that the proposed listing process of Kunlunxin is continuing, without elaborating on the time frame.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

"It's a difficult situation," she said, adding that the US federal government was "helping us out", without elaborating.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

And when April and Melanie started tossing the idea back and forth, decorating and elaborating the way they always did, it Worked just the way it was supposed to.

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

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