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

Fund managers are putting on elaborate events to court wealth advisers in hopes of reaching untapped household riches—even as some investors get spooked by risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Noodles didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the health issue or how long he expected to be on the sidelines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

When I was a kid, I used to read “The Joy of Cooking” and imagine the elaborate parties I would someday throw for the friends I was certain adulthood would bring me.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

In the days leading up to Dussehra in northern India, performers wear elaborate costumes and make-up to stage Ramlila, the dramatic retelling of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Nathan untied the knot at the top of the bag and saw elaborate pieces of shiny jewelry.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Scanning the room, largely full of teenagers, she elaborates on her last point.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Here he elaborates, line by lyrical line, on an eloquent poem about social justice by Nikky Finney.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025

Whereas brat was about being loud and messy, demure is about being classy, considerate and, as Lebron elaborates, authentic.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2024

“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

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

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

On X, Mr. Coxon elaborated: He had worked for both OpenAI and Anthropic, and said “neither company is acting responsibly.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Hamilton also elaborated on a remark he had made after his win in Barcelona about having incurred an injury at the track last year.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 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

He elaborated without encouragement, citing the advantages of Devon’s physical hardening program and of a high school diploma when he did in good time reach basic training.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

When asked by a reporter on Tuesday in which state she passed the bar exam, Zacharia said, “When I moved to China,” without elaborating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

She may have contracted the disease from a broken test tube, the outlet reported, without elaborating.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Xi said they had common understanding on issues without elaborating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

"We have an idea for peace," he said, without elaborating.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 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

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