explanation

[ek-spluh-ney-shuhn] / ˌɛk spləˈneɪ ʃən /

NOUN

clarification; reason

Synonyms

STRONGEST

account answer cause comment commentary confession definition description evidence example excuse expression information interpretation justification meaning motive note report resolution sense statement story summary

STRONG

annotation breakdown brief demonstration details display elucidation explication exposition gloss history illustration mitigation narration recital rendition showing significance specification tale talking telling vindication writing

Antonyms

STRONGEST

ignorance question quiet silence

STRONG

concealment hiding vagueness

WEAK

complication

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.

Arvizu said a law enforcement officer then forced him to leave the meeting without providing an explanation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

It is still too early to know which explanation is right, Krinsky added.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Thucydides was partial to naturalistic explanation and, no stranger to eclipses himself, might well have offered Pericles’ nervous helmsman a cloak.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Almost any explanation can be labeled race neutral in the abstract.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

“An explanation is a great place to start, Elder. Fairness is one of our tenets, is it not?”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Vocabulary lists containing explanation

PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)

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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1

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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4

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