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elaborate

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verb (1)

as in to unfold
to gradually become clearer or more detailed as mankind's understanding of the universe has elaborated

Synonyms & Similar Words

elaborate (on)

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verb (2)

1
as in to exaggerate
to add to the interest of by including made-up details my friend tends to elaborate on his hiking experiences, turning an ordinary walk in the woods into a hair-raising adventure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to develop
to express more fully and in greater detail the candidate for governor refused to elaborate on how she would balance the state's budget

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 elaborate
Adjective
The cost of ADUs varies widely, starting from around $40,000 for basic models and reaching upwards of $250,000 for larger, more elaborate designs, with additional expenses for site preparation and utility connections. Sarah Sekula, USA Today, 8 May 2025 After doing so, produce a more elaborate AGI definition that is a paragraph in size. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Verb
Towns played much of the game with a hand injury, but Thibodeau did not elaborate on the severity of the injury. Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025 While Alice in Chains didn’t elaborate on Kinney’s condition, on Friday, the band revealed that their North American tour — which included stops at Columbus’ Sonic Temple and Daytona Beach’s Welcome to Rockville festivals in the coming weeks — was off. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for elaborate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elaborate
Adjective
  • Related: Read our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look $47.99 at Amazon Starship Die Cast Rocket Model Now $47.99 on Amazon.
    Tariq Malik, Space.com, 23 May 2025
  • Amiri, 46, detailed working the door at the now shuttered Bungalow 8, a popular celebrity hangout spot in the early aughts, during a Wednesday, May 21, interview with Page Six Radio hosts Evan Real and Danny Murphy.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Judge Ashford did a thorough march through the standard regulatory factors.
    Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
  • No medical intervention is without risk, and on the broadest level, what these officials are asking for appears to fit the essential tenets of public health: thorough testing of vaccines before they’re debuted, and careful scrutiny of each immunization’s relative pros and cons.
    Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Human relationships are intricate and inherently messy, providing intangible benefits like growth through discomfort and emotional depth through complexity.
    Kim Samuel, Time, 14 May 2025
  • Much of the challenge, quite simply, lies in the German language — American consumers tend to be dissuaded by unfamiliar grape names, complex labels and Germany’s famously intricate classification system.
    Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • The result is a mosaic of broods that makes the jigsaw puzzle of periodical cicada distribution more complicated, but more interesting.
    Chris Simon, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
  • My work centers Native characters who are fully human: messy, funny, complicated.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • On the other hand, users earn free passes and engagement reward points, which cover the full subscription fee initially paid by Hibe, in return.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 15 May 2025
  • In September 26, 2024, a decision against her in a divorce action Sokola began in Poland awarded full custody of her one child to her husband until their divorce resolves.
    Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • Left unmanaged, these issues can disrupt family dynamics, derail careers, deplete wealth and complicate legacy planning.
    John Samuels, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Shifting trade policies, geopolitical risks, supply shortages and evolving regulatory landscapes all complicate decision-making.
    Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Unlike traditional car batteries, lithium-ion packs are complex, often made up of hundreds of individual cells.
    Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025
  • Once seen as a simple roadmap toward sustainability, this mantra now conceals a far more complex and troubling reality.
    Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Modern manufacturing already relies on robotics, computer vision, predictive maintenance and sophisticated supply chain optimization.
    Richard Lebovitz, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • Using some sophisticated math, the team found that the most likely mass of the black hole is 600,000 or so times the mass of the sun.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Elaborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elaborate. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

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