elucidate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
elucidates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
elucidated,
past participle, past
-
elucidating
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
elucidates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
elucidated,
past participle, past
-
elucidating
present participle
verb
Usage
What are other ways to say elucidate?
To elucidate something is to throw light upon it or make it clear. How does elucidate compare to synonyms explain, expound, and interpret? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
elucidationnoun
-
elucidatornoun
-
elucidativeadjective
-
nonelucidatingadjective
-
nonelucidativeadjective
-
unelucidatedadjective
-
unelucidatingadjective
-
unelucidativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
elucidatesimple
-
elucidatessimple
-
have elucidatedperfect
-
has elucidatedperfect
-
am elucidatingprogressive
-
are elucidatingprogressive
-
is elucidatingprogressive
-
have been elucidatingperfect progressive
-
has been elucidatingperfect progressive
Past
-
elucidatedsimple
-
had elucidatedperfect
-
was elucidatingprogressive
-
were elucidatingprogressive
-
had been elucidatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of elucidate
First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin ēlūcidātus “enlightened” (past participle of ēlūcidāre ), equivalent to ē- intensive prefix + lūcid(us) “bright, shining, clear, clear to the understanding” + -ātus adjective suffix; see origin at e- 1, lucid, -ate 1
Explanation
If you elucidate something, you explain it very clearly. If you don't understand fractions, a visit to the pie shop may elucidate the subject for you. Elucidate, meaning "to make clear," is from the Late Latin elucidare, from the Latin prefix e-, "thoroughly," and lucidus, "clear, bright." See the word lucid in elucidate? That's an adjective which describes someone who thinks clearly or something that is clear enough to understand.
Vocabulary lists containing elucidate
Let There Be Light: Lum and Luc
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
To Kill a Mockingbird
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Where other filmmakers would painstakingly elucidate every thematic detail to make their silly popcorn movie “say something,” Mitchell restrains himself.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
But before the officer could elucidate a satisfying response, agents drove up and surrounded Zemian and Amundson’s vehicle.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Members of Congress will want Warsh to elucidate his plans for bringing inflation down to the Fed’s 2% target.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
"There are many questions that we will only elucidate when we are able to go back," Grossi told reporters.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
Which is of course idiotic in the kind of profound and multivalent way that only an English teacher could fully elucidate.
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
“Beauty of the Beasts” elucidates their true role in nature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
This knowledge elucidates why Gadd "was very keen for Martha to be layered."
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2024
This work, published in the journal Cell, elucidates the complexities of centriole assembly.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 10, 2024
On a Zoom chat from Paris, Debicki elucidates further.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2024
The following narrative elucidates a still more modern phase of this elegant 'industry.'
From The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims Volume II (of II) by Andrew Steinmetz
“The Devil Wears Prada” was a heaping dose of wish-fulfillment, but it was also the very movie that carefully and artfully elucidated the values of magazines and fashion, emphasizing the art form of both.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Still, the impressive power of the book club might have been better elucidated if details about its impact in other Eastern Bloc countries were brought into the story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025
Researchers from University of Tsukuba elucidated the molecular mechanism by which macrophages, a type of immune cells, control heat production in brown adipose tissue to increase the body temperature in response to cold.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2024
But the specific pathways by which the virus does so are still being elucidated, and curative treatments are nonexistent.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2024
The style of teaching was Socratic in nature; ideas and theories were elucidated through the leaders asking and answering questions.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"Understanding how and why biphonation has evolved is an important step towards elucidating the origins of the amazing vocal diversity of mammalian vocal behavior," says author David Reby of the University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
The most elucidating superimposes a Pietà by Anne-Louis Girodet, David’s little-known pupil, over David’s “Marat.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
Their ineptitude complicates the journey, elucidating misconnections and cross-cultural exchanges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025
As a writer and director, Baker has dedicated much of his career to elucidating the subtleties of figures like Ani who are often relegated to the background.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2024
Instead she heard her mother, Euphrosyne Stephanides, speaking in this very cocoonery years ago, elucidating the mysteries of silkworms—“To have good silk, you have to be pure,” she used to tell her daughter.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
