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 At its investor day in June, Honeywell Aerospace spent time explaining their strategy to transform their supply chain, including better planning, factory throughput and the embrace of AI tools. — Zev Fima,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, the city will work on outreach to get vacant properties registered while putting together a guide explaining what the standards are for owners. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026 Sit with the answer without defending, explaining, or reframing. — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 The guild’s campaign includes a one-sheet explaining its support for the bill, as well as an entire section on its website dedicated to explanatory information. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 31 July 2026 The actor has previously shared that his pivot toward lighter, more mainstream projects was intentional, explaining that his priorities changed after becoming a parent. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 The courses cover writing, explaining, and debugging advanced formulas, as well as VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP for pulling exact data from massive spreadsheets without endless scrolling. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026 Batalon first set the record straight about the back-to-back engagements during a March 2025 interview with Metro Entertainment, explaining that his proposal plans were solidified before Holland’s. — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026 Below, during a conversation with THR, Cretton also discusses how Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle/The Punisher was achieved in a PG-13 context, before explaining why a particular Spider-Man shot required at least 65 takes. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining

Verb

Establishing Clear Ground Rules With Reporters The importance of clarifying standards is critical.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
For lawyers working to defend and expand anti-BDS legislation in court, PEN America’s new boycott position is clarifying.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Definition of clarifying

Verb

Like with Meta, Microsoft on Wednesday evening needs to do a better job explaining its AI strategy and justifying the massive levels of capex spend.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 26 July 2026
Organizations that approach agentic AI this way build foundational capabilities that span dozens of workflows and shift the ROI conversation from justifying each agent individually to achieving compounding returns across the enterprise.

— Joe Locandro, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of justifying

Verb

Stan and Jan Berenstain were prolific authors, writing and illustrating hundreds of Berenstain Bears books in their lifetime.

— Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
Combining runway inspiration with 3D garment visualizations, the report brings its trend forecast to life while illustrating how cotton can meet evolving consumer demands.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 28 July 2026

Definition of illustrating

Verb

But the notion of ends rationalizing the means is problematic on many levels, most of all because without boundaries and structure there is chaos, and few have the same means and leverage at their disposal.

— Vahe Gregorian July 7, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
As the show began to wrap up, Goldberg aimed to try to tie in the book, asking Vance about rationalizing his Catholic faith with a hard-line stance on immigration.

— Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

Definition of rationalizing

Verb

Kennedy also questioned the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines for children, despite extensive studies demonstrating their effectiveness in preventing severe illness.

— Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
After 2,000 hours of continuous operation, the tandem solar cells retained more than 91 percent of their original efficiency, demonstrating strong long-term stability.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 July 2026

Definition of demonstrating

Verb

The company, founded in 2020, cut staff earlier this year, attributing the reductions to its increasing allocation of resources toward prediction markets.

— Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 30 July 2026
Some experts warn that attributing too much to AI could give tech companies a loophole to avoid responsibility and liability.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Definition of attributing

Verb

Unlike conventional approaches that integrate springs into robotic legs, the new design shifts energy storage to the foot itself, simplifying the mechanical architecture while still improving efficiency.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026
His main priorities highlighted in his platform include reigning in national spending, simplifying the tax code, defending the military and Second Amendment, promoting nuclear energy, and securing the border.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of simplifying

Verb

Zuraitis sounds confident and poised belting R&B, crooning standards, or interpreting pop tunes.

— Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
Instead, focus on consistently scanning the environment, interpreting signals through the lens of your organization’s unique strengths and responding with thoughtful action.

— Dr. William Morice, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026