explicate
verb
ex·pli·cate ˈek-splə-ˌkāt 
explicated; explicating
transitive verb
1
: to give a detailed explanation of
2
: to develop the implications of : analyze logically
explication
ˌek-splə-ˈkā-shən
noun explicator
ˈek-splə-ˌkā-tər
noun 
Synonyms
- clarify
- clear (up)
- construe
- demonstrate
- demystify
- elucidate
- explain
- expound
- get across
- illuminate
- illustrate
- interpret
- simplify
- spell out
- unriddle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 The film ties itself into knots to explicate the bad news. 
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Aug. 2022 This passage epitomizes Hickey’s unusual relationship to literature and his uncanny ability to draw forward an aspect of a poem or novel to explicate an artwork without reducing either to mere illustration. Jarrett Earnest, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 See More
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Aug. 2022 This passage epitomizes Hickey’s unusual relationship to literature and his uncanny ability to draw forward an aspect of a poem or novel to explicate an artwork without reducing either to mere illustration. Jarrett Earnest, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 The truth is, no one can fully explicate why Kipchoge is the GOAT. Amby Burfoot, Outside Online, 21 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
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
First Known Use
1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1
explicating
verb
as in explaining
to make plain or understandable the physicist did his best to explicate the wave theory of light for the audience of laymen Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- explaining
- clarifying
- illustrating
- demonstrating
- elucidating
- interpreting
- simplifying
- illuminating
- construing
- expounding
- demystifying
- analyzing
- defining
- deciphering
- resolving
- solving
- spelling out
- getting across
- specifying
- unriddling
- decoding
- clearing (up)
- unraveling
- disentangling
- annotating
- untangling
- undoing
- glossing
- unscrambling
- commentating
- breaking down
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- obscuring
- confusing
- confounding
- clouding
- obfuscating
- befogging
- grapple (with)
- grapple dredge
- grapple fork
- grapple plant
- grapple shot
- grapple with
- grappled
- grappled (with)
- grappled with
- grappler
- grapplers
- grapples
- grapples (with)
- grapples with
- grappling
- grappling (with)
- grappling hook
- grappling with
- grapplings
- grapsid
- Grapsidae
- grapsoid
- Grapsus
- graptolite
- graptolites