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

The sunfish is already dead -- this isn't an elaborate murder ritual.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Jieyang authorities said last month that the boys would not face criminal charges and would instead be sent to a "specialised school", but did not elaborate.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

He declined to elaborate on their relationship, but encouraged everyone to kiss their pals, of all genders, with the vigor of an artist who is finally, truly, free.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

"Microglia are immune cells that, when they respond to plaques, kick off this elaborate cascade of inflammation, as if the microglia are partying all night, and keeping the brain awake."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

These were so elaborate and so much fun that people remembered them for years.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Singh elaborates on the connection young people felt to hip-hop’s deeper tradition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

She acknowledges but barely elaborates on them, they claim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 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

"In our devices, electrons propagate in two opposite directions within the same nanoscale space and without scattering," Dr Barrier elaborates.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 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

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

Canadian officials never elaborated on what that entailed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

"Anyway, just my mid-distance runners for now," Coach elaborated.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

"We determined that these changes require a renewal of the Cabinet of Ministers," he added, without elaborating.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 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

A U.S.-China Board of Trade would be used to discuss tariff reduction on certain products, the Chinese ministry said, without elaborating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026

I was elaborating upon my “legend” consistently and Luzan accepted my pathologies.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee