explanatory
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of explanatory
From the Late Latin word explānātōrius, dating back to 1610–20. See explain, -tory 1
Explanation
Use the adjective explanatory when you're talking about a clarification or an explanation. An abstract artwork in a gallery that consists of an old sneaker might require an explanatory note, for example. The Latin word explanare is at the root of explanatory, and its literal meaning is "to make level or to flatten." When you give an explanatory answer or make an explanatory speech, you are laying it all out — providing all the details your listener needs to understand. Anything that makes something more clear can be described as explanatory, like a footnote in a term paper or your apologetic list of reasons for being late to your best friend's party.
Vocabulary lists containing explanatory
Common Core Grades 7–8, List 4
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Common Core Grade 6, List 4
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Common Core Grades 9–10, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The series was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Explanatory videos can still be found online and Knight’s own two-video set is still available for purchase, too.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2023
Explanatory wall text is kept to a minimum and sequestered to one section of each room.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2022
R&B singer Ne-Yo is letting his music speak for itself with the release of his eighth studio album "Self Explanatory," which came out last week.
From Reuters • Jul. 21, 2022
The Rev. James Stormonth's "Dictionary of the English Language, Pronouncing, Etymological, and Explanatory," is a work of great value.
From How to Form a Library, 2nd ed by Wheatley, Henry Benjamin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
