explanatory
adjective
\
Definition of explanatory
: serving to explain explanatory notes
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from explanatory
\
adverb
Synonyms for explanatory
Synonyms
elucidative, exegetical (also exegetic), explanative, explicative, explicatory, expository, illuminative, illustrative, interpretative, interpretive
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of explanatory in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Eschewing explanatory and identifying onscreen text, Wang-Breal (Tough Love) uses a mostly verite approach to immerse the viewer in the work of the court and the nonprofits it partners with. — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Blowin' Up': Film Review | Tribeca 2018," 27 Apr. 2018 The project went on to win a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. — Grace Palmieri, azcentral, "How to get tickets for 'The Wall' documentary film event in Phoenix," 29 June 2018 Another somewhat self-explanatory tip, but obey the local laws when using fireworks. — Joshua Trudell, ajc, "10 ways to enjoy Fourth of July fireworks safely," 27 June 2018 The Streaming, All, and P2P options are self-explanatory. — Ian Paul, PCWorld, "Hide My Ass Pro 4 review: A noticeable upgrade with great speeds," 27 June 2018 The film's weakest moments come when explanatory scenes appear to be trimmed or downright cut to maintain a brisk pace. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Incredibles 2 review: Brad Bird, Pixar are on fire with this superhero sequel," 15 June 2018 This simple and determinate explanatory style is highly intuitive and very efficient. — Joseph Franklin, Scientific American, "Suicide Prediction Remains Difficult Despite Decades of Research," 11 June 2018 Ugly Sweater Party at Howl at the Moon 26 W. Hubbard St. 312-863-7427 Break out your ugliest holiday sweater and head to Howl at the Moon for its annual Ugly Sweater Party, which is pretty self-explanatory. — Adam Lukach, RedEye Chicago, "Get in the holiday spirit with these 10 Christmas activities in Chicago," 14 Dec. 2017 Jota dissects the judiciary; Nexo specialises in explanatory journalism with lots of graphics and timelines. — The Economist, "Latin America’s new media are growing up," 14 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'explanatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for explanatory
explanatory
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of explanatory
: made or included in order to explain something
See the full definition for explanatory in the English Language Learners Dictionary
explanatory
adjective
\
Kids Definition of explanatory
: giving explanation explanatory notes
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on explanatory
What made you want to look up explanatory? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
-
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
Which Came First? Quiz
Do you know which word is older?
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
Add Diction
Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.
Play the game
Share explanatory
Resources for explanatory