explication

American  

[ek-spli-key-shuhn] / ˌɛk splɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

explications plural

1. the act of explicating.

2. an explanation; interpretation.

   He gave a brilliant explication of James Joyce's book.

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explication British  

/ ˌɛksplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of explicating

2. analysis or interpretation, esp of a literary passage or work or philosophical doctrine

3. a comprehensive exposition or description

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reexplication
  noun
• self-explication
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• explications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of explication

1520–30; < Middle French < Latin explicātiōn- (stem of explicātiō ). See explicate, -ion

Explanation

Explication is the process of making something clearer. When you carefully explain your performance art piece to your mystified parents, you can describe what you're doing as an explication. The noun explication is closely related to "explicit," which essentially means "crystal clear." Both words come from the Latin explicitus, "unobstructed," which itself is a variant of explicare, "unfold or unravel." A good explication unravels any doubt or confusion and results in a crystal clear understanding, whether the explication involves performance art, the plot of a novel, or the complicated route to your grandmother's house.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

explication explications

Mr. Richardson’s explication of these sui generis novels is astute and highly welcome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Estados Unidos Mexicanos thwart case-by-case determination of PLCAA’s applicability, a process that promotes careful explication of the law.

From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2025

She followed that with a second surprise song similarly awash in explication: "Lana Del Rey put out a new album today," she said.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2023

Meanwhile, “Klinghoffer” continues to prove shocking in its explication of the roots of terrorism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2022

There Oppenheimer delivered an impressively detailed explication of atomic bomb physics, along with his own rough estimate that 100 kilograms of U-235—that is, 220 pounds—would be enough for a practical device.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Encouraged by a prestigious academic publisher, he has embarked on a five-volume book project, “The Ellington Effect,” which explores the creative process of the native Washingtonian, with in-depth explications of representative songs.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2021

Unnecessary words take up space at the expense of apt explications.

From Nature ● Jun. 11, 2019

With the modern history of hoarding, we are now getting the modern, or actually postmodern, explications.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 8, 2014

The group includes professors and historians, fanboys and artists, many of whom have posted their theories online accompanied by maps, videos, and pages-long explications pleading their cases.

From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2012

Pray what becomes of all their hypotheses and explications of the phenomena, which suppose the existence of Matter?

From Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous by Berkeley, George