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
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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 progress is undeniable, and there is a clear explanation: the capability of the U.S. military.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
As for Russell, he has fundamentally used driving style as an explanation for his relative struggles, saying the previous cars suited his, and the new ones Antonelli's.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The 55-year-old discovered on Tuesday that his account had once again been briefly blocked in India, allegedly with no explanation from the platform.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Compared with participants who had not read the explanation, DARVO-educated participants believed the victim more and supported the perpetrator less.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
Would it be so very wrong for a guard to smile now and then, or give a few words of explanation?
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Still, the narrative has its share of “just go with it” moments and explanations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
As for intelligence failures on Saturday, President Macron has demanded explanations and a new policing strategy.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
There are a few explanations for how a seemingly can’t-miss prospect ended up so far from the mark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Other potential explanations have been proposed for the increase in cancers among younger adults.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
Variation and natural selection offer cogent explanations of the mechanism by which evolution might occur within a species, but they do not explain the formation of species per se.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
