as in illuminating
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from
clarify the melted butter by skimming off the milky bits
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clarifying
Lindsey Garito, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Steps three and four explain when to switch between using clarifying shampoos, non-clarifying shampoos and medicated shampoos.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 5 Apr. 2026
As the Virgo Moon arrives November 13 to 15, things get even more introspective, but in the best, most clarifying way.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025
It’s been very clarifying and really, for lack of a better word, helpful, in framing for us, really, and reminding us what, what this festival is, what is Mr. Redford’s legacy.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
And that was a clarifying moment for me in my understanding of their relationship.
—Max Gao, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
These compositions have surprising emotional impact and a clarifying depth.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 12 June 2026
The former couple issued a joint statement to Us Weekly, clarifying that the clip is not representative of their five-year relationship.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 11 June 2026
And that means clarifying whether entertainment content counts.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Leaders foster both by clarifying decision ownership, ensuring timely access to the right information and rewarding team outcomes over individual achievement.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Perez, however, has avoided clarifying the situation in public appearances in recent weeks.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Later amendments also addressed concerns from Senate Republicans, Secure AI, Anthropic and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency by clarifying third party qualifications, what the audit should include and protocols for protecting proprietary information.
—Jenna Schweikert, CBS News, 28 May 2026
Use clarifying shampoo at least once a week and keep dry shampoo handy to soak up extra sweat and oil.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 20 May 2026
Steyer also published an article on X clarifying his campaign’s rules for engaging influencers.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2026
Adjective
Some of the most clarifying conversations about where work is headed come from people who are just entering it.
—Lindsey Garito, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Steps three and four explain when to switch between using clarifying shampoos, non-clarifying shampoos and medicated shampoos.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 5 Apr. 2026
As the Virgo Moon arrives November 13 to 15, things get even more introspective, but in the best, most clarifying way.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025
It’s been very clarifying and really, for lack of a better word, helpful, in framing for us, really, and reminding us what, what this festival is, what is Mr. Redford’s legacy.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
And that was a clarifying moment for me in my understanding of their relationship.
—Max Gao, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
These compositions have surprising emotional impact and a clarifying depth.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024
Verb
Meanwhile, on June 11, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released a statement clarifying that Mexican authorities had not contacted them about the tip or the search efforts.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 12 June 2026
The former couple issued a joint statement to Us Weekly, clarifying that the clip is not representative of their five-year relationship.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 11 June 2026
And that means clarifying whether entertainment content counts.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Leaders foster both by clarifying decision ownership, ensuring timely access to the right information and rewarding team outcomes over individual achievement.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Perez, however, has avoided clarifying the situation in public appearances in recent weeks.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Later amendments also addressed concerns from Senate Republicans, Secure AI, Anthropic and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency by clarifying third party qualifications, what the audit should include and protocols for protecting proprietary information.
—Jenna Schweikert, CBS News, 28 May 2026
Use clarifying shampoo at least once a week and keep dry shampoo handy to soak up extra sweat and oil.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 20 May 2026
Steyer also published an article on X clarifying his campaign’s rules for engaging influencers.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clarifying
Adjective
-
The monitor has stunning contrast as well, with 1000 nit peak brightness to bring out the both the most illuminating and darkest corners of the screen.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
19 June 2026
-
Oppenheimer’s team is among the most sophisticated macro analysts on Wall Street, and their framework is genuinely illuminating.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Because a baby’s eyes are still developing, the lenses inside of them are not as effective as an adult’s at filtering out UV rays.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
Fiorio gave no indication that the manual gearbox has any hope of filtering down through Maserati’s production lineup.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Elena witnessed the argument and tried explaining to Moshe their concerns about previous squatters in the building.—
Olivia Bensimon,
Curbed,
17 June 2026
-
In November, Rashada posted a tutorial video to his Instagram account explaining the claims-buying process, which led to a flood of referrals over next several months.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Now the castle is in ruins (though with explanatory signage), with hiking paths, a museum, and a 1,200-foot pedestrian suspension bridge that sways 300 feet above the valley floor.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
8 June 2026
-
The strangest glitch was the way the supposedly reddish color of the opening and closing words of Blade Runner 2049’s opening explanatory text took on a distinctly brown tone.—
John Archer,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
With his irresistible positivity, Towers, who’s spent years refining his craft, still feels like someone at the start of a much bigger story.—
Ali Lerman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Committee Chair Rhodesia Ransom, D-Tracy, said the Local Government Committee was expected to continue refining the measure and would also work with State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant to address the hobby rocketry concerns.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Much like the Snicko technology used in cricket, broadcasters could even show a graphic illustrating the precise moment that Isak had flicked the ball on.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
-
According to the team, the system generated enough formic acid to power a miniature diorama displayed at the pavilion, illustrating how an efficient artificial photosynthesis system could one day produce and store clean energy for use in household applications.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
But the candidate side was even more revealing.—
Alison Coleman,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The episode is a revealing moment in a story that Pancevski broke large parts of in the Journal in 2023, and a useful glimpse at Washington’s — and the world’s — disorienting fog of war in a broken information environment.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The tool summarizes conversations across Slack channels, extracting insights from messages, documents and files.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
This device accomplishes the feat by extracting two distinct, valuable chemical products from the energy of a single photon of light.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clarifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clarifying. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
