elucidate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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
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elucidationnoun
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elucidatornoun
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unelucidatingadjective
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nonelucidatingadjective
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unelucidatedadjective
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elucidativeadjective
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unelucidativeadjective
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nonelucidativeadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have elucidatedperfect
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has elucidatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been elucidatingperfect progressive
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is elucidatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am elucidatingprogressive 1st person singular
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elucidatingparticiple
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has been elucidatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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elucidatessingular 3rd person
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are elucidatingprogressive
Past
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had elucidatedperfect
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had been elucidatingperfect progressive
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were elucidatingprogressive plural
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was elucidatingprogressive singular
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elucidatedparticiple
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elucidatedsimple
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
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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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.
"There are many questions that we will only elucidate when we are able to go back," Grossi told reporters.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
On the West Coast, he found more “openness” and an “anything goes” ethos that saw the struggling artist move further into music as a means to elucidate and explore creativity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2025
For those who might unfortunately view that video and wonder what the hell he’s talking about, let me elucidate: Johnson is trying to get podcaster Joe Rogan to fight him.
From Salon • Jun. 27, 2025
Future research will aim to reproduce the Great Red Spot's shrinking over time to elucidate the physical mechanisms underlying the Spot's relative stability.
From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2024
He became the world’s foremost authority on thermodynamics and the first to elucidate the principles of the convection of fluids and the circulation of ocean currents.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
