explicate

verb

ex·​pli·​cate ˈek-splə-ˌkāt How to pronounce explicate (audio)
explicated; explicating

transitive verb

1
: to give a detailed explanation of
2
: to develop the implications of : analyze logically
explication noun
explicator noun
Choose the Right Synonym for explicate

explain, expound, explicate, elucidate, interpret mean to make something clear or understandable.

explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known.

explain the rules

expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation.

expounding a scientific theory

explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis.

explicate a poem

elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit.

elucidate an obscure passage

interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something.

interpreting a work of art

Examples of explicate in a Sentence

an essay explicating a theory the physicist did his best to explicate the wave theory of light for the audience of laymen
Recent Examples on the Web Each of the songs explicates a place and time of an incident or an idea in the lives of the protagonists. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024 The Michael Mann Archives also provide a wealth of video content in the form of 18 documentaries that explicate Mann and his collaborators’ process from a wide array of perspectives including acting, production design, cinematography, and props. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 July 2024 Johnson began by explicating the threat posed by the emerging axis of anti-American great powers, rogue nations, and the stateless terrorists in orbit around them all. The Editors, National Review, 10 July 2024 As a result, its sequel, Inside Out 2, continues to explicate a little girl’s psyche as if our sense of morality and self-esteem had not been altered by politics, media, or science during the past ten years. Armond White, National Review, 14 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for explicate 

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

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin explicātus, past participle of explicō, explicāre "to free from folds or creases, unroll, disentangle, spread out, set out in words, give an account of," from ex- ex- entry 1 + plicāre "to fold, bend" — more at ply entry 3

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of explicate was in 1531

Dictionary Entries Near explicate

Cite this Entry

“Explicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explicate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

explicate

verb
ex·​pli·​cate ˈek-splə-ˌkāt How to pronounce explicate (audio)
explicated; explicating
: to give a complete explanation of
explication noun

More from Merriam-Webster on explicate

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