as in to explain
to make plain or understandable
colored charts that really help to elucidate the points made in the text
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Recent Examples of elucidate
The foreign minister’s comments were confusing, but his deputy elucidated them in much clearer terms about the government’s self-conception.
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Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
The material enhances performance The team elucidated the material’s mechanism through a series of experimental analyses, including solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy, electron spin resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025
His more recent research has identified a new receptor protein for therapies to target, and helped elucidate the exact process of tumor killing—knowledge that could help improve the potency of immune therapies.
—Katarina Zimmer, JSTOR Daily, 14 Aug. 2025
The rapidity and the terseness of the onscreen action leaps from scene to scene, from event to event, from one salient point to the next, with nothing incidental in between, nothing revealing anything besides what directly elucidates the story as Polanski chooses to tell it.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elucidate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elucidate
Verb
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Mel explained that Chris was impressed by the move, and the two went for a run and had dinner together the next day.—
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In an interview with Entertainment Weekly's sister publication, PEOPLE, makeup artist Nick Barose explained his inspiration for creating Madigan's glam for the evening.—
Verb
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While the companies have not clarified where locations will be closing, financial constraints have pushed them to reduce their national footprint.—
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After the Variety story was published, Grande clarified her comments regarding new music in a comment on a fan account's Instagram post about the interview.—
Verb
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Recent reassessments in parts of West Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Englewood illustrate a broader problem, with increases that go far beyond routine market movement.—
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Advertisement No country illustrates the region’s dilemma better than Brazil, Latin America’s largest democracy.—
Verb
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The new technology described in the study demonstrates the incredible potential of combining classic engineering principles (like the Tesla turbine) with modern materials science to address long-standing industrial challenges.—
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Earlier protests demonstrated many Iranians’ opposition to the theocracy’s hard-line ideology, its insistence on the hijab, its control of media and education, its general brutality.—
Cite this Entry
“Elucidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elucidate. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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