explanation
Americannoun
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the act or process of explaining.
- Synonyms:
- description, interpretation, exposition, explication, elucidation
-
something that explains; a statement made to clarify something and make it understandable; exposition.
an explanation of a poem.
-
a meaning or interpretation.
to find an explanation for a mystery.
-
a mutual declaration of the meaning of words spoken, actions, motives, etc., with a view to adjusting a misunderstanding or reconciling differences.
After a long and emotional explanation they were friends again.
noun
-
the act or process of explaining
-
a statement or occurrence that explains
-
a clarification of disputed terms or points; reconciliation
Other Word Forms
- overexplanation noun
- preexplanation noun
- reexplanation noun
Etymology
Origin of explanation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English explanacioun, from Latin explānātiōn-, stem of explānātiō, from explānāt(us) “made understandable” (past participle of explānāre “to smooth out, make understandable”) + -iō -ion; explain
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.
Although China has never offered a straightforward explanation for why it stopped sending the aircraft—and why it resumed again—Taiwanese officials and outside analysts in Taipei and Washington have proffered various theories.
Restorative justice is a process that allows victims to speak to perpetrators about the impact of a crime, while giving perpetrators the chance to take accountability, offer an explanation and address the harm they caused.
From BBC
Patients arrive at a diagnosis once symptoms have persisted for at least three months and all other explanations have been ruled out.
From Los Angeles Times
Foreign policy analysts would normally consider distraction to be a lazy and unprofessional explanation for major actions like wars, if not a symptom of paranoid conspiracy thinking.
From Salon
The discovery challenges decades of biology textbook explanations and could influence how researchers approach hair loss and hair regeneration.
From Science Daily
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.
