Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

elaborate

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of elaborate

1 made or done with great care or with much detail

  • elaborate festivities for the 200th anniversary of the townʼs founding
Synonyms of elaborate

complex, complicated, detailed, fancy, intricate, involved, sophisticated
Words Related to elaborate

elegant, exquisite, grand, magnificent, ornate, splendid

chichi, extravagant, exuberant, fancified, flamboyant, frilly, gimmicked (up), grandiose, ostentatious, overwrought, showy, souped-up

Byzantine, convoluted, involute, involuted, labyrinthian, labyrinthine
Near Antonyms of elaborate

modest, plain, plain-Jane, plain-vanilla, uncomplicated

bald, bare, naked, unadorned, undecorated, unvarnished
Antonyms of elaborate

no-frills, simple, unfancy, unsophisticated

2 including many small descriptive features

  • the elaborate world known as Middle Earth that J.R.R. Tolkien created in his richly imagined novels
Synonyms of elaborate

blow-by-blow, circumstantial, detailed, full, minute, particular, particularized, thorough
Words Related to elaborate

enumerated, inventoried, itemized, listed, numerated

delineated, specific, specified

abundant, copious

comprehensive, encyclopedic, exhausting, exhaustive, inclusionary, inclusive, in-depth, omnibus, panoramic, thoroughgoing

accurate, correct, exact, precise

complete, entire, replete

distinct, explicit, sharp

mapped (out)

descriptive, graphic (also graphical), picturesque, vivid
Near Antonyms of elaborate

brief, compact, concise, crisp, pithy, short, succinct, terse

abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, cut, pruned, shortened, trimmed

ambiguous, indeterminate, nebulous, nondescript, sketchy, vague

bird's-eye, broad, general, nonspecific, overall, unspecified
Antonyms of elaborate

compendious, summary

3 having many parts or aspects that are usually interrelated

  • plans for a huge mall that will actually be an elaborate center for sports, entertainment, and shopping
Synonyms of elaborate

baroque, byzantine, complex, complicate, complicated, convoluted, daedal, intricate, involute, involved, knotty, labyrinthian, labyrinthine, sophisticated, tangled
Words Related to elaborate

overcomplex, overcomplicated

composite, compound, heterogeneous, mixed, multibranched, multifaceted, multifarious, multipart, varied

challenging, difficult, tough

impenetrable, incomprehensible, inexplicable, Kafkaesque, unfathomable, unintelligible
Near Antonyms of elaborate

oversimplified, simplified, simplistic

homogeneous, uniform, unvaried
Antonyms of elaborate

noncomplex, noncomplicated, plain, simple, uncomplicated

elaborate

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of elaborate

to gradually become clearer or more detailed

  • as mankind's understanding of the universe has elaborated
Synonyms of elaborate

develop, evolve, unfold
Words Related to elaborate

advance, fare, forge, get along, get on, march, proceed, progress

blossom, grow, mature, ripen

materialize

emerge, play out

Learn More about elaborate

  1. See words that rhyme with elaborate Dictionary: Definition of elaborate Medical Dictionary: Definition of elaborate Spanish Central: Translation of elaborate Nglish: Translation of elaborate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of elaborate for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up elaborate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

milieu

the setting in which something occurs

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. Spartan Red Cross Warns of Shelter Conditions

  2. hirsute RIP Burt Reynolds

  3. op-ed NYT Publishes Anonymous Piece

  4. collegiality Kavanaugh Mentions Word in Hearing

  5. mistrial Manafort Guilty on 8 Counts

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games