Synonyms of elaborate

elaborate 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˈla-b(ə-)rət 

1

as in detailed

made or done with great care or with much detail

elaborate festivities for the 200th anniversary of the town's founding

Synonyms & Similar Words

• detailed
• intricate
• complicated
• elegant
• complex
• sophisticated
• fancy
• involved
• exquisite
• ornate
• magnificent
• extravagant
• splendid
• showy
• grandiose
• Byzantine
• convoluted
• grand
• exuberant
• flamboyant
• ostentatious
• frilly
• overwrought
• labyrinthine
• fancified
• souped-up
• involuted
• chichi
• labyrinthian
• involute
• gimmicked (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• unsophisticated
• modest
• plain
• uncomplicated
• no-frills
• unfancy
• unadorned
• naked
• bare
• bald
• unvarnished
• plain-vanilla
• undecorated
• plain-Jane

2

as in thorough

including many small descriptive features

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• detailed
• thorough
• full
• comprehensive
• particular
• descriptive
• particularized
• circumstantial
• accurate
• specific
• complete
• minute
• entire
• blow-by-blow
• graphic
• vivid
• precise
• explicit
• itemized
• panoramic
• copious
• exhaustive
• enumerated
• abundant
• distinct
• specified
• encyclopedic
• inclusive
• listed
• correct
• thoroughgoing
• exhausting
• exact
• picturesque
• in-depth
• numerated
• delineated
• replete
• omnibus
• inventoried
• inclusionary
• mapped (out)
• sharp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• summary
• brief
• short
• compendious
• concise
• succinct
• pithy
• compact
• terse
• abbreviated
• vague
• crisp
• ambiguous
• cut
• trimmed
• curtailed
• sketchy
• abridged
• general
• shortened
• nebulous
• indeterminate
• pruned
• nondescript
• broad
• nonspecific
• unspecified
• overall
• bird's-eye

3

as in intricate

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 & Similar Words

• intricate
• complicated
• complicate
• complex
• sophisticated
• convoluted
• tangled
• labyrinthine
• involved
• baroque
• byzantine
• knotty
• difficult
• varied
• labyrinthian
• involute
• daedal
• mixed
• multifaceted
• composite
• multifarious
• heterogeneous
• challenging
• overcomplicated
• compound
• overcomplex
• inexplicable
• tough
• incomprehensible
• unintelligible
• multipart
• unfathomable
• multibranched
• impenetrable
• Kafkaesque

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• plain
• uncomplicated
• simplistic
• simplified
• noncomplex
• uniform
• noncomplicated
• homogeneous
• oversimplified
• unvaried

elaborate

2 of 2

verb

i-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt 

as in to unfold

to gradually become clearer or more detailed

as mankind's understanding of the universe has elaborated

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unfold
• evolve
• progress
• develop
• proceed
• grow
• emerge
• mature
• get along
• get on
• march
• advance
• forge
• fare
• blossom
• materialize
• play out
• ripen

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of elaborate

Adjective

In August 2024, Banksy transformed a City of London police sentry box into a piranha tank through an elaborate series of murals. — News Desk, Artforum, 10 Aug. 2026

The years of consistent releases and increasingly elaborate performances did the work of making sure there was somewhere real for those listeners to land. — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Verb

Murdoch said the decision came after recent talks between Fox and the league, but declined to elaborate. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026

Her lawyer, Sabrina Puglisi, said in a statement to PEOPLE that Clenney had reached a plea agreement but declined to elaborate further ahead of the hearing. — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

Phrases Containing elaborate

• elaborate (on)