explanation
Americannoun
-
explanations
plural
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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; see 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
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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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.
See Examples For:
But Flintshire council said there had been no explanation that children, families and pensioners, who all qualified for concessionary fares, would be charged full adult price.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The draft arrived with a different byline and an explanation from the flack that “we actually found an even more enthusiastic author,” the leader of a conservative advocacy organization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The inspector general found that explanation wasn’t always clear and that the person approving travel often operated under the assumption that an executive had requested it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Then ask whether there is an explanation for what you are seeing that is better than your first instinct.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Autumn looks at me with alarm, but I’m just struggling to come up with a rational explanation.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The explanations from ChatGPT are so much better than what the medical doctors tell you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Second, imagine multiple possible explanations for what you are seeing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The evidence also allowed the team to rule out natural explanations such as glacial movement.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
For Professor Andy Jones, an expert in endurance performance at the University of Exeter, there are three potential physiological explanations why women could perform better over longer distances or durations.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Barnes and Bloor are sociologists, and it is perfectly understandable that they insist that they and their fellow sociologists ought to stick to sociological explanations.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
