explanation
Americannoun
-
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
Explanation
An explanation is a statement about how or why something is the way it is. If you're failing math, you'd better come up with a good explanation to give to your parents. Explanation is from the same Latin word as explain: explanare, which means make clear. Because explanation and explain are so closely related, people often try to shoehorn an extra i into the spelling of explanation. Don't. You might think that explanation has the odd spelling, but it is really the more regular of the two because there is no i in explanare.
Vocabulary lists containing explanation
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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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.
While the cryptic video confirmed the beef, Cooper still didn’t offer any explanation as to what initially caused the turmoil between them.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
Another Instagram commenter wrote, “I’m really looking forward to the explanation for this one — the ‘Mayor of Flavortown’ having a blast with the ‘Mayor of Misogyny Town.’
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
Published in the journal Ecosphere, the study disputes this widely accepted narrative and introduces a broader explanation for why the birds declined.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
One explanation is the severe physical shortage in oil markets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Glory launched into a long explanation of everything Danny had told her.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
