elaboration

American  

[ih-lab-uh-rey-shuhn] / ɪˌlæb əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of elaborating.

2. the state of being elaborated; elaborateness.

3. something that is elaborated.

4. Psychiatry. an unconscious process of expanding and embellishing a detail, especially while recalling and describing a representation in a dream so that latent content of the dream is brought into a logical and comprehensible order.

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Other Word Forms

• self-elaboration
  noun

Etymology

Origin of elaboration

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin ēlabōrātiōn-, stem of ēlabōrātiō, from ēlabōrāt(us) “worked out” (past participle of ēlabōrāre “to work out, produce through labor”; see elaborate) + -iō -ion

Explanation

Elaboration means "adding details." Kids are famous for answering "good" when asked how school was and "nothing" when asked what they did there. If pressed for elaboration, they might talk about recess, lunch, and even what they learned. Elaboration is the result of going that extra mile, such as when your history teacher asks for five paragraphs on the Fall of Rome, and you write three pages, or when your friend, instead of giving you a regular birthday card, creates a mini-scrapbook with photos and mementos from the past year. As you can see, elaboration takes time and energy because you go into greater detail than usual.

Example Sentences

In her introduction, the translator Anne McKnight presents “Long Take” as an elaboration on “Something Like an Autobiography,” the filmmaker’s 1981 memoir.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Lilly did not respond to a request for elaboration on the point.

From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025

Everything else is just elaboration on that basic plot.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2025

My response to “how’s work” has often dwindled to a simple “fine,” without much elaboration.

From Slate • Oct. 31, 2024

His only elaboration had been that they were “delightful people.”

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

Related Words

• amplification