clarify
verb (used with object)
to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or intelligible; to free from ambiguity.
was clarifying
-
past progressiveof clarify.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
But having a child was clarifying: “I need to have a clear plan and structured life goals to provide for him and set an example.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
It cited unspecified “media reports” and said it was clarifying the situation.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
This wasn’t exactly news, but it was clarifying.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 25, 2022
If anything was clarifying about her time away, Alonzo says, it’s that she still has so much more to say — and some of those long-simmering thoughts take form in “Middle Classy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2022
Tackling “Normal People” first was clarifying: Onscreen, Rooney’s “lowkey” stories are best told in episodic form, Abrahamson said.
From New York Times ● May 13, 2022
