as in interpretive
serving to explain
a dearth of explicative material to help the layman understand the difficult subject matter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of explicative
While Clarkson was amazed by her skills, Parton was able to slip in an explicative on daytime television.
—
Vulture, 21 Dec. 2022
Much of the dialogue is obvious and explicative; young Bode sometimes sounds like a middle-aged professor.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2020
There are periodic explicative orations about the state of the nation.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2019
Video posted on the Twitter feed of Robin Bell shows the explicative term in question emblazoned across the wall of the hotel, backed by a cascade of poop emojis.
—Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, 14 Jan. 2018
Vulture, 21 Dec. 2022
Much of the dialogue is obvious and explicative; young Bode sometimes sounds like a middle-aged professor.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2020
There are periodic explicative orations about the state of the nation.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2019
Video posted on the Twitter feed of Robin Bell shows the explicative term in question emblazoned across the wall of the hotel, backed by a cascade of poop emojis.
—Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, 14 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explicative
Adjective
-
This illustrative image from 2003 shows a ground radar monitoring station at the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) airforce base near the Jiuquan Launch Centre.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Aug. 2025
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One illustrative statistic from Politico: Michael Wolff’s 2018 Trump book sold over 25,000 copies in its first week, while his 2025 Trump book only sold around 3,000 copies in the corresponding interval.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Even in previous eras, doctors were quick to spot any indication of stress and nervousness in a patient and ascribe to it a certain explanatory power.—
Tom Zeller Jr.
July 30,
Literary Hub,
30 July 2025
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The curved, accessible walkways are clearly signed and more than one explanatory exhibit demonstrates the superiority of planting indigenous or highly adaptive plants.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explicative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explicative. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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