EXPLAINING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

explaining

verb

present participle of explain

as in clarifying

to make plain or understandable a pamphlet that explains the medical procedure in language that any layperson can understand

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in justifying

to give the reason for or cause of can you explain your very odd behavior at the wedding reception?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 explaining Students who were comfortable explaining concepts suddenly hesitated. — Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026 However, replacing the standard cosmological model, known as Lambda–Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM), requires more than explaining unusual galaxies. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026 Our educators have spent months attending meetings, speaking publicly, and explaining what these costs would mean for their families. — Clinton McCracken, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026 With Mercury still retrograde, an old idea may be worth explaining in a clearer way. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026 Colom chided Hyde-Smith for not explaining her strategy going forward. — Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026 Marysia gave her a handwritten letter explaining her new project—her printer was broken—and Daniel agreed to take some photos with her. — Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026 Fu recalls, explaining that these families had helped her from the beginning and didn't want to see her work stop. — Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026 Then, in the fall of 2023, a friend encouraged him to make TikToks explaining how to recognize great fabrics. — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining

Verb

This clarifying toner exfoliates skin to gently remove debris and dead skin cells, while rosemary, aloe, and chamomile extract soften and soothe.

— Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Singer argued that inflation must be addressed through fiscal discipline, clarifying earlier comments about food prices to state that inflation rates are declining.

— Abby Dodge, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of clarifying

Verb

Students can, and should, ask themselves at what point the additional health benefits stop justifying the costs in time and money.

— John Alexander, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026
The centerpiece of the policy originally was his use of a 1977 law to declare America's longstanding trade deficits a national emergency, justifying double-digit tariffs on almost every country on Earth.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of justifying

Verb

Two celebrities wore different yet equally striking iterations this week, illustrating just how much the model has evolved.

— Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2026
Seven other countries also participated, illustrating the exercise’s growing multinational dimension.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of illustrating

Verb

If backers of the president often seemed defensive — justifying, rationalizing, urging patience — Trump critics were seething.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
This penchant for rationalizing violence--even deadly violence--extends beyond the murder of Kirk.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of rationalizing

Verb

The company’s planned 2027 unveiling of its flagship vehicle will be an important milestone in demonstrating its technological progress and long-term ambitions.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2026
From Brooklyn to Buffalo, students are already demonstrating deeper learning through meaningful, rigorous work.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of demonstrating

Verb

Business outcomes have many causes, and organizations should be cautious about attributing every improvement to AI.

— Subha Barry, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
According to Bastos, eight in 10 Gen Z respondents said clothing impacts their health and well-being, with 59 percent pointing to comfort and 51 percent attributing it to how clothing feels, including breathability.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of attributing

Verb

Leaders might be called upon for help to remove some of the shackles that naturally accumulate over time, including simplifying approvals, streamlining processes and creating space to experiment.

— Suzanne Konstance, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
One major breakthrough involved simplifying the particle isolation process.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of simplifying

Verb

One way of interpreting the findings was that amyloid had been assigned too large a role in Alzheimer’s.

— Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
However, interpreting their output remains difficult because the cameras generate millions of individual signals rather than recognizable images.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026