elaborate

American  

[ih-lab-er-it, ih-lab-uh-reyt] / 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

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

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

“This is an elaborate, well thought-out ruse which totally jammed my radar,” Taylor wrote, noting the caller’s attention to detail, including “real cop-speak.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Some of those spots host elaborate holiday light displays that require set-up in late October.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Even more elaborate deceptions are carried out for complex, high-risk trips abroad.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Rather than relying on elaborate studio sets, the production embraced the neighborhood’s authentic character, allowing real businesses, public squares, and residential streets to become integral parts of the series’ identity.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

“So, are you saying we aren’t going to concoct an elaborate revenge plot to get back at her?”

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

“It’s about our experience as being in the Armenian diaspora and exploring what that means to us,” McCreary elaborates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

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

When questioned on this by her guest, Queer Eye's Tan France, she elaborates on what she likes to cook.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2025

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

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

He has elaborated on the philosophy in a handful of recent public appearances, and he is writing a book—due out in October—to defend it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Prominent figures in the late 1980s and early 1990s elaborated on that argument in books and talk-show appearances.

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

Netanyahu elaborated on Israel's security concerns in his post.

From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026

Bob Elliott, CEO of Unlimited Funds, elaborated on this point in a post on X.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

“It’s worse than a lemon,” her twin elaborated.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

“Our focus remains on finding a sustainable manufacturing solution for Brampton,” the spokeswoman said, without elaborating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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

The Texas senator similarly held a private meeting with Blanche, a conversation he described simply as “positive,” without elaborating which direction he’s leaning on Blanche’s confirmation.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026

“We have assessed the business and are taking additional actions to reposition where needed and further strengthen our product engine,” she said, without elaborating.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

Joe, conscious of the kids watching him over the rims of their Dixie cups, found himself elaborating on the things he remembered fondly.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown