elaborate
adjective
elab·o·rate
i-ˈla-b(ə-)rət 
1
: planned or carried out with great care
took elaborate precautions
2
: marked by complexity, fullness of detail, or ornateness
elaborate prose
elaborately
adverb
elaborateness
noun
Examples of elaborate in a Sentence
Jumping spiders, the largest family of spiders, have excellent eyesight and perform elaborate courtship and threat displays, often characterized by ritualized body postures and leg waving.
—
Simon Pollard, Natural History, March 1995
Mostly, I think, because it's wicked hot today, I've been having elaborate fantasies about the perfect hot-weather lunch: two dozen freshly opened Little Necks and a couple bottles of ice-cold lager. None of that red "cocktail" sauce on 'em either, just lemon and coarse black pepper.
—Vladimir Estragon, Waiting for Dessert, 1982
On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A.
—Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, 1850
They made elaborate preparations for his visit.
I see now that her behavior was all part of an elaborate plan.
The dancers were wearing elaborate costumes.
He told the story in elaborate detail.
Simon Pollard, Natural History, March 1995
Mostly, I think, because it's wicked hot today, I've been having elaborate fantasies about the perfect hot-weather lunch: two dozen freshly opened Little Necks and a couple bottles of ice-cold lager. None of that red "cocktail" sauce on 'em either, just lemon and coarse black pepper.
—Vladimir Estragon, Waiting for Dessert, 1982
On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A.
—Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, 1850
They made elaborate preparations for his visit.
I see now that her behavior was all part of an elaborate plan.
The dancers were wearing elaborate costumes.
He told the story in elaborate detail.
Recent Examples on the Web
Wedges—both classic and sculptural—nod to the aughts without feeling overly familiar, while thong silhouettes take on a more elaborate, colorful form.
—Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 9 June 2026
Another consideration was that Powell’s character was supposed to swiftly achieve the elaborate look on his own, with just the help of one other person— trusted confidant Danny (Frankie Rodriguez), who’s also the team mascot — and a tube of party store glue.
—Carita Rizzo, HollywoodReporter, 8 June 2026
That feeling is suffused through every note of the film’s elaborate soundscape, which mesmerically combines a wealth of ambient noise with 20 original songs from DIY artists, all of them played diegetically across a meshwork of Bluetooth speakers and passing cars.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 June 2026
Credit Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ vision for making this venue not only big and elaborate but state-of-the-art.
—Mac Engel
june 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for elaborate
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Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 9 June 2026
Another consideration was that Powell’s character was supposed to swiftly achieve the elaborate look on his own, with just the help of one other person— trusted confidant Danny (Frankie Rodriguez), who’s also the team mascot — and a tube of party store glue.
—Carita Rizzo, HollywoodReporter, 8 June 2026
That feeling is suffused through every note of the film’s elaborate soundscape, which mesmerically combines a wealth of ambient noise with 20 original songs from DIY artists, all of them played diegetically across a meshwork of Bluetooth speakers and passing cars.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 June 2026
Credit Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ vision for making this venue not only big and elaborate but state-of-the-art.
—Mac Engel
june 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for elaborate
Cite this Entry
“Elaborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elaborate. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
elaborate
1 of 2 adjective
elab·o·rate
i-ˈlab-(ə-)rət
: made or done with great care or with much detail
elaborate plans
an elaborate design
elaborately
adverb
elaborateness
noun
elaborate
2 of 2 verb
elab·o·rate
i-ˈlab-ə-ˌrāt
elaborated; elaborating
1
: to work out in detail : develop
elaborate an idea
2
: to give more details
elaborate on a story
Medical Definition
elaborate
transitive verb
elab·o·rate
i-ˈlab-ə-ˌrāt
elaborated; elaborating
of a living organism
: to alter the chemical makeup of (as a foodstuff) to one more suited to bodily needs (as of assimilation or excretion)
especially
: to build up (complex organic compounds) from simple ingredients
the toxin elaborated by the tetanus bacterium
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