elaborate

[ adjective ih-lab-er-it; verb ih-lab-uh-reyt ]

adjective

1. worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness:

   elaborate preparations; elaborate care.

   Synonyms: painstaking

   Antonyms: simple

2. marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated; ornate.

verb (used with object)

, e·lab·o·rat·ed, e·lab·o·rat·ing.

1. to work out carefully or minutely; develop to perfection.

   Synonyms: improve, refine

2. to add details to; expand.
3. to produce or develop by labor.
4. Physiology. to convert (food, plasma, etc.) by means of chemical processes into a substance more suitable for use within the body.

verb (used without object)

, e·lab·o·rat·ed, e·lab·o·rat·ing.

1. to add details in writing, speaking, etc.; give additional or fuller treatment (usually followed by on or upon ):

   to elaborate upon a theme or an idea.

   Synonyms: improve, refine

elaborate

/ ɪˈlæbərətɪv /

adjective

1. planned or executed with care and exactness; detailed
2. marked by complexity, ornateness, or detail

verb

1. intr; usually foll by on or upon to add information or detail (to an account); expand (upon)
2. tr to work out in detail; develop
3. tr to make more complicated or ornate
4. tr to produce by careful labour; create
5. tr physiol to change (food or simple substances) into more complex substances for use in the body

Derived Forms

• eˈlaborately, adverb
• eˈlaboˌrator, noun
• eˈlaborateness, noun
• eˌlaboˈration, noun
• elaborative, adjective

Other Words From

• e·labo·rate·ly adverb
• e·labo·rate·ness noun
• e·labo·rative adjective
• e·labo·rator noun
• none·labo·rate adjective
• none·labo·rate·ly adverb
• none·labo·rate·ness noun
• none·labo·rating adjective
• none·labo·rative adjective
• quasi-e·labo·rate adjective
• quasi-e·labo·rate·ly adverb
• self-e·labo·rated adjective
• super·e·labo·rate adjective
• super·e·labo·rate·ly adverb
• super·e·labo·rate·ness noun
• une·labo·rate adjective
• une·labo·rate·ly adverb
• une·labo·rate·ness noun
• une·labo·rated adjective
• well-e·labo·rated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of elaborate¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin ēlabōrātus (past participle of ēlabōrāre ) worked out, equivalent to ē- intensive prefix + labōr- “work” + -ātus adjective suffix; e- ¹, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of elaborate¹

C16: from Latin ēlabōrāre to take pains, from labōrāre to toil

Synonym Study

Elaborate, labored, studied apply to that which is worked out in great detail. That which is elaborate is characterized by great, sometimes even excessive, minuteness of detail: elaborate preparations for a banquet. That which is labored is marked by excessive, often forced or uninspired, effort: a labored style of writing. That which is studied is accomplished with care and deliberation, and is done purposely, sometimes even having been rehearsed: a studied pose.

Example Sentences

The subculture includes “furries,” or people who dress up in elaborate animal costumes.

From Los Angeles Times

A master of disguise, the Jackal first appears in elaborate — yet, to the viewer, obvious — prosthetics to make him look like a specific janitor in a building he’s planning to breach.

From Los Angeles Times

Again, he doesn’t concern himself with the elaborate details of this or that discredited election-fraud conspiracy theory.

From Salon

I’m thinking of something more elaborate from one of your solo records — “I Hung My Head,” let’s say.

From Los Angeles Times

Felicity Campbell has been describing the moment she realised she had been caught in an elaborate scam by someone pretending to be from her bank.

From BBC