elucidate
Usage
What are other ways to say elucidate?
To elucidate is to throw light on what before was dark and obscure, usually by illustration and commentary and sometimes by elaborate explanation: They asked him to elucidate his statement. To explain is to make plain, clear, or intelligible something that is not known or understood: to explain a theory or a problem. To expound is to give a methodical, detailed, scholarly explanation of something, usually Scriptures, doctrines, or philosophy: to expound the doctrine of free will. To interpret is to give the meaning of something by paraphrase, by translation, or by an explanation based on personal opinion: to interpret a poem or a symbol.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But where its cinematic peers get snared by trying to elucidate the truth of the pop star, Lowery’s film skates past the conventions and trappings, landing on something high-concept but deceptively straightforward.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
"There are many questions that we will only elucidate when we are able to go back," Grossi told reporters.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
It was a sweeping sweep of a sweep, the Dodgers winning their third consecutive game from the Padres Sunday by a 5-4 margin that does not begin to elucidate the difference between these two teams.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025
While remote data can reveal elusive aspects of life during conflict, personal interviews and surveys can elucidate long-term — even transgenerational — impacts of war.
From Salon • Oct. 19, 2024
He became the world’s foremost authority on thermodynamics and the first to elucidate the principles of the convection of fluids and the circulation of ocean currents.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Vocabulary lists containing elucidate
Let There Be Light: Lum and Luc
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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