explanatory
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- explanatively adverb
- explanatorily adverb
- nonexplanative adjective
- nonexplanatory adjective
- preexplanatory adjective
- unexplanatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of explanatory
From the Late Latin word explānātōrius, dating back to 1610–20. See explain, -tory 1
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.
A statement from the committee that includes the bill's explanatory note says "its purpose is to cut off terrorism at its root and create a heavy deterrent."
From Barron's
The decision to jettison the report’s traditional explanatory narrative was announced to EIA staff in a March 10 internal email, after the document was largely complete following months of work.
From Salon
We need to start by examining a combination of explanatory factors.
From Salon
I was amused at what I had underlined as an overeager student, always on the lookout for the explanatory phrase.
From Los Angeles Times
Rather too much time is spent repeating staged close-ups of a left hand sketching in ink or applying paint, or else executing inscrutable mirror-writing on parchment — Leonardo’s secretive signature method — coupled with explanatory voice-over.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
