1
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from
clarify the melted butter by skimming off the milky bits
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in explaining
to make plain or understandable
it would help if you could clarify your position for us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in illuminating
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clarifying
Max Gao, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Working at the Taller de Gráfica Popular allowed for a clarifying moment of vision, one that drove her work—politically and artistically—for the rest of her life.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
But this was a clarifying moment for me, as the photo’s release validated other information my source had been sharing in recent weeks.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Sep. 2024
Tuesday against Brooklyn's collection of wings will provide a more clarifying test.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 6 Mar. 2023
Hank Willis Thomas has meditated on the commercialization of Black stereotypes, in ways that are generally more clarifying than Colescott’s histrionic approach.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022
Biden administration officials say that the Russian invasion has been a clarifying moment for some of the bigger powers in Asia as financial sanctions and export bans have been put in place to check Russia.
—Aamer Madhani and Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2022
Kyle's clarifying questions ultimately yield a few non-clarifying answers.
—Jodi Walker, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2021
The most clarifying political moment of the era came with the 1912 presidential election, when corporate concentration was explicitly on the ballot.
—Zephyr Teachout, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020
Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
Ask clarifying questions and offer feedback that demonstrates the other person was heard and understood.
—Christopher Kaufman, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Ed Sheeran is clarifying his recent comments about moving stateside.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Spurs released a statement late on Sunday night clarifying their position following days of speculation after the removal of Daniel Levy as executive chairman on Thursday.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Roberts, dumbfounded, asked a clarifying question.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
The last two years have been clarifying, and not only in unpleasant ways.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
In a clarifying public statement, Marr reframed the narrative his former bandmate introduced about what actually happened.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
The photos were not taken at an OB/GYN clinic, Sutter Health said, clarifying they were taken at Sansum’s urgent care clinic in Santa Barbara.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
And that was a clarifying moment for me in my understanding of their relationship.
—Max Gao, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Working at the Taller de Gráfica Popular allowed for a clarifying moment of vision, one that drove her work—politically and artistically—for the rest of her life.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
But this was a clarifying moment for me, as the photo’s release validated other information my source had been sharing in recent weeks.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Sep. 2024
Tuesday against Brooklyn's collection of wings will provide a more clarifying test.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 6 Mar. 2023
Hank Willis Thomas has meditated on the commercialization of Black stereotypes, in ways that are generally more clarifying than Colescott’s histrionic approach.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022
Biden administration officials say that the Russian invasion has been a clarifying moment for some of the bigger powers in Asia as financial sanctions and export bans have been put in place to check Russia.
—Aamer Madhani and Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2022
Kyle's clarifying questions ultimately yield a few non-clarifying answers.
—Jodi Walker, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2021
The most clarifying political moment of the era came with the 1912 presidential election, when corporate concentration was explicitly on the ballot.
—Zephyr Teachout, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020
Adjective
Musk directly condemned the posts that appeared to celebrate Kirk’s shooting, in one case clarifying a false claim that a Tesla employee had made one such mocking comment.
—Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
Ask clarifying questions and offer feedback that demonstrates the other person was heard and understood.
—Christopher Kaufman, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Ed Sheeran is clarifying his recent comments about moving stateside.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Spurs released a statement late on Sunday night clarifying their position following days of speculation after the removal of Daniel Levy as executive chairman on Thursday.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Roberts, dumbfounded, asked a clarifying question.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
The last two years have been clarifying, and not only in unpleasant ways.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
In a clarifying public statement, Marr reframed the narrative his former bandmate introduced about what actually happened.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
The photos were not taken at an OB/GYN clinic, Sutter Health said, clarifying they were taken at Sansum’s urgent care clinic in Santa Barbara.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clarifying
Verb
-
Supporting the best candidates and filtering out the worst is necessary for both the short-term and long-term health of the party and country as a whole.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
By filtering out vibrations and electromagnetic interference, Ironstone Opal maintained accuracy without the recalibration classical systems require.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Police took Taddese’s phone and vehicle as evidence, which alarmed the family, Bernard said, explaining some of the family’s reservations about the police investigation.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
-
About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Again, bold and daring and wild changes, sure, but also imaginative and illuminating.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The most illuminating parts of the film are those that speak to Candy’s interpersonal relationships and offscreen challenges.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And as recently as two months before the show hit Broadway, Shears was busy refining other lyrics to make them as sharp and as could be.—
Adam Bell,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Hartgerink and McHugh are refining it further, exploring applications in protein delivery, antibodies, hormones, and enzymes.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Far more than an after-party, the evening served as a cultural marker, illustrating how Black talent is not just participating in NYFW but actively shaping its future across fashion, beauty, and media.—
Corein Carter,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
While the details of the case are particular to one individual, experts say the outcome is far too common, illustrating the need for greater vigilance of, and advocacy around, a threat that kills a person every six minutes, according to the National Blood Clot Alliance.—
Paul Sisson,
Mercury News,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
An explanatory note to the bill said that Russia has had no representative in the European Committee of the Council of Europe since 2023, with the country blocked from the body following its aggression in Ukraine.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
People are entities that generate explanatory knowledge: reasons, theories, models.—
Philip Maymin,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Crucially, there are real-world exploits like University of California, San Diego’s (UCSD) Imprompter, which had nearly an 80% success rate in extracting personal data via obfuscated prompts.—
Camellia Chan,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
So Cali reached over, extracting it, before downing the rest.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At Level 2, this means demonstrating compliance with all 110 controls in NIST 800-171.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
While his specialty is agateware, which involves carving into a multi-colored piece to reveal layers of clay, this musician and songwriter also enjoys the showmanship of demonstrating his craft.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clarifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clarifying. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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