explicate

1 of 2

verb

ex·​pli·​cate ˈek-splə-ˌkāt How to pronounce explicate (audio)
explicated; explicating
Synonyms of explicatenext

transitive verb

1
: to give a detailed explanation of
2
: to develop the implications of : analyze logically
explication
ˌek-splə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce explicate (audio)
noun
explicator
ˈek-splə-ˌkā-tər How to pronounce explicate (audio)
noun

explicator

2 of 2

noun

ex·​pli·​ca·​tor ˈekspləˌkātə(r) How to pronounce explicator (audio)
plural -s
: one that explicates : expositor

Synonyms of explicate

Relevance

Verb

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Choose the Right Synonym for explicate

explain, expound, explicate, elucidate, interpret mean to make something clear or understandable.

explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known.

explain the rules

expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation.

expounding a scientific theory

explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis.

explicate a poem

elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit.

elucidate an obscure passage

interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something.

interpreting a work of art

Examples of explicate in a Sentence

Verb an essay explicating a theory the physicist did his best to explicate the wave theory of light for the audience of laymen
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Each of the songs explicates a place and time of an incident or an idea in the lives of the protagonists. — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024 His paragon, surprisingly, was Adorno, who, notwithstanding his mandarin prose, often explicated his ideas on radio and television. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 The exhibit mostly circumvents contextualizing the architectural details of the office, and rather aims to explicate the man who worked within it. — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026 Idles’s songs explicate the social and moral turmoil that youthful protesters can’t put into words, but the band’s energetic live performances and enthusiastic crowds make sense of what otherwise look like ideological whims. — Armond White, National Review, 7 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for explicate

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Latin explicātus, past participle of explicō, explicāre "to free from folds or creases, unroll, disentangle, spread out, set out in words, give an account of," from ex- ex- entry 1 + plicāre "to fold, bend" — more at ply entry 3

Noun

Latin, from explicatus + -or

First Known Use

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of explicate was in 1531

Rhymes for explicate

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Browse Nearby Words

explicans
explicate
explication
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Cite this Entry

“Explicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explicate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

explicate

verb
ex·​pli·​cate ˈek-splə-ˌkāt How to pronounce explicate (audio)
explicated; explicating
: to give a complete explanation of
explication
ˌek-splə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce explicate (audio)
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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