as in interpretative
serving to explain
the explanatory section has as its heading "What the New Tax Changes Mean"
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Recent Examples of explanatory
The decision to jettison the report’s traditional explanatory narrative was announced to EIA staff in a March 10 internal email, after the document was largely complete following months of work.
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Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 5 May 2025
Things are a bit different for Sinners, however, as the film’s director, Ryan Coogler, has done my job for me, by doing exactly that for his own movie with an explanatory video on Kodak’s YouTube channel.
—Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Jack Harris placed in the top 10 for beat reporting for his work chronicling the Dodgers’ run to the 2024 World Series and in the top 10 in the explanatory category for an article examining the Dodgers’ role in MLB’s pitching injury epidemic.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025
Remember, the term ORC is descriptive, not explanatory.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explanatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explanatory
illustrative
Adjective
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Hypothetical examples have been provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as advice designed to meet the particular needs of an individual’s situation.—
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The book marks the second in Barnett's retelling releases, following 2022's The Three Billy Goats Gruff, which featured illustrative work from Jon Klassen and became a bestseller.—
Cite this Entry
“Explanatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explanatory. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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