1
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from
clarify the melted butter by skimming off the milky bits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Related Words
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
Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2025
This story has been updated to add Freida’s second post, clarifying her request for prayers.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
After facing backlash from the DHS and White House, however, the Grammy winner shared a statement clarifying his intent behind the song.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2025
The video post from Parton came after her sister shared a Facebook post clarifying her previous request for prayers.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Quinlin joked, before clarifying.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
If a massage or facial sounds more your speed, Gruene Day Spa offers same-day services and packages, including prenatal, hot stone, and sports massages, plus classic and clarifying facials, microdermabrasion, and more.
—Lauren Jones, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
This clarifying clay mask pairs kaolin and bentonite clays with bamboo charcoal to draw out pore-clogging impurities and sweep away excess oil—without leaving your skin feeling parched.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 30 Sep. 2025
Try washing the tint out with a clarifying shampoo or a deep treatment mask like Matrix Biolage HydraSource Deep Treatment Hair Mask right away.
—Maureen Choi, Glamour, 25 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
The noncomedogenic formula retains face oil’s nourishing benefits while honing in on calming, clarifying, and evening.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2025
This story has been updated to add Freida’s second post, clarifying her request for prayers.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
After facing backlash from the DHS and White House, however, the Grammy winner shared a statement clarifying his intent behind the song.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2025
The video post from Parton came after her sister shared a Facebook post clarifying her previous request for prayers.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Quinlin joked, before clarifying.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
If a massage or facial sounds more your speed, Gruene Day Spa offers same-day services and packages, including prenatal, hot stone, and sports massages, plus classic and clarifying facials, microdermabrasion, and more.
—Lauren Jones, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
This clarifying clay mask pairs kaolin and bentonite clays with bamboo charcoal to draw out pore-clogging impurities and sweep away excess oil—without leaving your skin feeling parched.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 30 Sep. 2025
Try washing the tint out with a clarifying shampoo or a deep treatment mask like Matrix Biolage HydraSource Deep Treatment Hair Mask right away.
—Maureen Choi, Glamour, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clarifying
Verb
-
The washer minimizes water usage by intelligently recycling and filtering during each stage.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Doctors treated him with immunosuppressive drugs and a blood-filtering procedure called plasma exchange.—
Humberto Basilio,
Scientific American,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In explaining the plea agreement, Acosta claimed the case against Epstein was plagued with issues that may hinder a conviction.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The vendor had already begun explaining her offerings to me in a mix of Spanish and English, but the AirPods drowned out most of her words.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The latter may scoff at the idea of a nostalgic horror movie, but anyone who's had the urge to peek through their fingers as nightmares unfold in front of them knows that fear can be both cathartic and illuminating.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Thanks for your thorough and illuminating answers.—
Jane Ciabattari
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Over the next decade, Hawke and Linklater met periodically to read the script, refining it with screenwriter Robert Kaplow between sessions.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Duren’s been refining with big man coach Vitaly Potapenko but has shown sparingly thus far in his career.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Yore duffel bag was exhibited in its pattern pieces, illustrating the 78 parts and 72 hours of craftsmanship required for each creation.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Bryant once scored 50 against Iverson’s Sixers in a regular-season duel, illustrating the mutual challenge between them.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Outside of school, reading newspapers my parents would leave on the kitchen table and listening to the radio or explanatory YouTube videos were my favorite ways to learn.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
In other words, this explanation is plausible, but limited in its explanatory power, while simultaneously possessing the drawback of bringing up new puzzles.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For years, researchers have unsuccessfully tried to harness these polypeptides’ antifreezing properties, but directly extracting the compounds from fish is simply too costly and not scalable.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
8 Oct. 2025
-
These systems don’t generate electricity but rather circulate fluid in underground pipes, exchanging heat with the soil, extracting warmth from the ground in winter and transferring warmth to the ground in summer.—
Moones Alamooti,
The Conversation,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Yet members of Gen Z are also demonstrating new styles of communication fit for the future.—
Bill Connolly,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The protesters have been demonstrating across Brussels center, between Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi train stations, Reuters reported.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clarifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clarifying. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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