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?

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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 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 The customer can challenge a decision without mistreating the person explaining it. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 And there’s plenty of DIY video content available explaining how to program them. — Alison J. Stein, HubSpot, 29 Oct. 2026 The city has been sending mailers to residents explaining the amendment’s potential effects. — Naomi Nix, Time, 29 Oct. 2026 The club initially argued that Mbappe had no intent to offend while also explaining that players have freedom of expression, which predictably did not go over well. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Brown would spend the postgame explaining how those final seconds slipped away. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 28 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

The plan may be seen as illustrating an argument that developing countries are resisting pressure to choose camps in the growing competition between Washington and Beijing.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
The sheriff’s office said Matsuda and Donlon sent their friends a text message with a map illustrating Ice Mountain as their destination.

— Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 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

Such generosity in defeat is rare in today’s political climate, and Stevens deserves credit for demonstrating it.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
The man behind the wheel wasn’t a thief, but a Baltimore County Police detective demonstrating how quickly an unattended vehicle can disappear while its driver runs a simple errand.

— Jessica Baugh, Baltimore Sun, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of demonstrating

Verb

Warsh also cautioned against attributing the economy’s strength to technology alone.

— Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026
In a study submitted to the FTC, the Association of Settlement Companies, a debt settlement trade association, cited a 21% completion rate for credit counseling programs, attributing the figure to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

— Malana VanTyler, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of attributing

Verb

All scanners and vehicles should have compatible ports, simplifying the connection.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Its modular design is intended to support installation in field environments, potentially simplifying the process of equipping vehicles with robotic capabilities.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 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