Vocabulary in context
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Elaborate
To explain or describe something in greater detail; to add more information. As an adjective, describing something that is highly detailed or ornate.
verb💡
Imagine This
Imagine a researcher presenting a simple idea, then progressively adding steps, data, and diagrams to fully explain it to a skeptical audience.
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Sounds Like
ih-LAB-uh-rate
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Looks Like
ex-lab-or-ate
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Remember This
Elaborate comes from Latin elaborare meaning to work out; the noun form is elaboration.
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Other Forms
elaboratesverb
elaboratingverb
elaborationnoun
elaborateadjective
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Note
Elaborate as a verb takes an object (elaborate on or elaborating the plan). As an adjective, it describes things that are highly detailed or ornamented. Don’t confuse with forms of 'labor' or with similar-sounding words like 'elate.'
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The professor asked the student to elaborate on the hypothesis with additional data.
- The architect produced an elaborate design featuring intricate latticework and multiple levels.
Synonyms
expounddetailelucidatedevelopexpand
Antonyms
condensesimplifyabridge
Etymology
From Latin elaborare, meaning to work out, from ex- (out) + labor (work).
Mnemonic
EX-LABOR-ATE: Ex out of labor; you work it out in detail by adding more steps and features.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Ornate
adjectiveElaborately or highly decorated; richly adorned.
Intricate
adjectiveVery complicated or detailed; having many interrelated parts.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
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