as in interpretive
serving to explain
a dearth of explicative material to help the layman understand the difficult subject matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Walking through the exhibit, visitors can read interpretive panels detailing the lives of key figures in Yuba-Sutter’s Black history.
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His father worked at the fort in its early years, and Medina himself spent three seasons repairing its adobe walls before joining the interpretive staff.
Adjective
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When subtle interpretative differences compound over months and miles, your original vision becomes unrecognizable on the front lines.
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Most of these interpretative moves work fine because they’re thought through and balanced by other moves.
Adjective
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The $4,500 out-of-pocket maximum in the prompt is illustrative — the legal in-network ceiling is $9,250 in 2026.
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Winslow Homer’s The Morning Bell (originally The Old Mill, pictured above) is illustrative of this distinction in art.
Adjective
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There are a lot of explanatory factors, and one is OGX's Renewing Penetrating Argan Hair Oil.
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Now the castle is in ruins (though with explanatory signage), with hiking paths, a museum, and a 1,200-foot pedestrian suspension bridge that sways 300 feet above the valley floor.
Cite this Entry
“Explicative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explicative. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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