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 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
If the concept seems self-explanatory, consider that the guidelines claim that both vegetable oil and sparkling water are nutrient-dense.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-explanatory
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
If the concept seems self-explanatory, consider that the guidelines claim that both vegetable oil and sparkling water are nutrient-dense.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-explanatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-explanatory
Adjective
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Even as the calendar flipped to September and the clinch appeared obvious, the idea of October was sidestepped.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
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That equality, and the diminishment of obvious markers—peculiar clothes, a strange language, obscure traditions—could be disturbing, and not just to conservative rabbis who saw their authority fading.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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But since the fussy Seinfeld character was initially created as an elevated version of David himself, this sowed understandable confusion on the Curb set.—
THR Staff,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
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His phenomenal start at Anfield is why the No 9 role is such a big discussion topic and why his actions were somewhat understandable.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That divergence is also becoming evident in sentiment surveys.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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That’s evident in a playful pair of cashmere travel socks in a bold orange shade and the detailing on some of the other pieces.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In October 2023, Kristil went to police with a detailed spreadsheet documenting every interaction with her apparent stalker.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
26 Sep. 2025
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Nowhere is this more apparent than one of the first kisses shared between Patrick (Jonathan Groff), a privileged white video game designer, and Richie (Raúl Castillo), the Mexican club doorman hopelessly in love with him.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Despite having a relatively straightforward main plot, the first Hades excelled at grafting deep backstories and layered personalities to each of its many characters that fleshed out Greek mythology.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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The commercial test that will decide competitiveness is straightforward.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Adaptive fashion has often meant plain and uninspiring clothing.—
Finbarr Toesland,
Robb Report,
24 Sep. 2025
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Cut out shapes, like fruit or animals, or letters from scrap fabric, and stitch them onto a plain shirt or sweatshirt.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Don’t pull over in the roundabout Roundabouts with a single lane of traffic in each direction are fairly simple – yield to traffic in the roundabout, wait for a gap in traffic and go through, Bryson said.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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This can be as simple as bodyweight movements, resistance bands or dumbbells, focusing on compound/functional movements like squats, pushes and pulls.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-explanatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-explanatory. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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