explanatory

adjective

ex·​plan·​a·​to·​ry ik-ˈspla-nə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce explanatory (audio)
: serving to explain
explanatory notes
explanatorily adverb

Examples of explanatory in a Sentence

There are explanatory notes at the front of the book. the explanatory section has as its heading “What the New Tax Changes Mean”
Recent Examples on the Web The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. Adriana Morga, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024 Then, nearly as quickly as mirror neurons caught on, scientific doubts about their explanatory power crept in. Quanta Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024 Why publish a tactile book on eclipses? NASA has lots of explanatory material that helps people visualize and understand rare phenomena like eclipses. Cassandra Runyon, The Conversation, 22 Mar. 2024 Caitlin Dickerson of The Atlantic received the 2023 Pulitzer in explanatory reporting for her reporting on family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border. Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024 Before Kensington Palace’s explanatory social media post, NBC News had requested comment from the household without reply. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 11 Mar. 2024 Two explanatory notes that X users appended to Porter’s social media post offered helpful context. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The Arizona Republic and the USA TODAY Network received the 2018 Pulitzer in explanatory reporting for The Wall, a project looking at the intended and unintended impacts of the construction of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024 This is why the 2024 index and its explanatory report highlights a growing importance of business and trade attributes in perceptions of nations’ soft power, with ‘strong and stable economy’ cited as by far the strongest driver of both influence and reputation. Courtney Fingar, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'explanatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of explanatory was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near explanatory

Cite this Entry

“Explanatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explanatory. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

explanatory

adjective
ex·​plan·​a·​to·​ry ik-ˈsplan-ə-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce explanatory (audio)
-ˌtȯr-
: serving to explain
explanatory notes
explanatorily adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on explanatory

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!