as in obvious
easy to understand without explanation
a self-explanatory phrase The chapter titles of the book are self-explanatory.
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Recent Examples of self-explanatory
The camera has a large library of capture modes, some of which are self-explanatory, like Photo, Video, Time Shift (Hyperlapse), Timelapse, Loop Recording, Slow Motion, and Burst Photo.
—
PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025
The self-explanatory deal allows customers to enjoy unlimited soup or salad, pasta and breadsticks.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Cleaning a mirror in your bathroom, bedroom, or living room might seem self-explanatory, but properly wiping down a mirror really makes a world of a difference.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 19 July 2025
Single Barrel is self-explanatory; the whiskey is from one single barrel and, as such, can vary between bottlings.
—Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-explanatory
PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025
The self-explanatory deal allows customers to enjoy unlimited soup or salad, pasta and breadsticks.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Cleaning a mirror in your bathroom, bedroom, or living room might seem self-explanatory, but properly wiping down a mirror really makes a world of a difference.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 19 July 2025
Single Barrel is self-explanatory; the whiskey is from one single barrel and, as such, can vary between bottlings.
—Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-explanatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-explanatory
Adjective
-
Black inks for the same printers tend to have less obvious smearing than the color ink, and many smear just enough to see a smudge, without harming readability.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
-
But Trump’s arbitrary brand of interventionism comes with obvious dangers.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The idea is to make worker feedback less intimidating for companies by turning it into easily comprehensible data and action items.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Aug. 2025
-
In the lab, Goldie’s thoughts circled and surrounded the minutiae of analysis and computation, sorted microscopic comparisons, developed overviews that laid out sequences and processes logically and accurately in theories not otherwise comprehensible.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Or perhaps its author was just exhausted, which would be entirely understandable.—
Liz Schubauer,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Almeida believes that is understandable.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The impact of this team is evident not only in their buildings but in their relationships.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
While some laws have changed, the wealth is evident even on a brief visit.—
Vivienne Walt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Foreclosure would become nonviable as a means of tax collection — with no readily apparent alternative means for timely collection of the delinquent revenue.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Remember, magnitude is the scale used by astronomers to chart the apparent brightness of an object in the night sky.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Once numbing kicks in, most patients describe the day as straightforward.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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That concentration makes capture relatively straightforward by routing the exhaust through chemical scrubbers, binding the CO2, compressing and storing it underground.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Music industry machinations are mostly to blame; a higher supply of albums means more sales, which translates into chart performance and popularity and plain old checks to cash.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The locker rooms and antechambers behind the scenes are drab and plain.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Jared Jewelers Bulova Phantom Watch A watch is both practical and fashionable, and this style adds a touch of sparkle to simple outfits.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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Each year, as the temperature rises, the town’s regular population of around 300 swells with thousands of kids soaking up the simple pleasures of the great outdoors.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-explanatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-explanatory. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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