explicative

[ ek-spli-key-tiv, ik-splik-uh-tiv ]

adjective

1. explanatory; interpretive.

Other Words From

• expli·cative·ly adverb
• non·expli·cative adjective
• un·expli·cative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of explicative¹

From the Latin word explicātīvus, dating back to 1620–30. See explicate, -ive

Example Sentences

The show formerly known as just “Pennyworth” returns for its third season with a subtitle so explicative that it practically dares you not to watch, after it dares you not to laugh: “The Origin of Batman’s Butler.”

From Los Angeles Times

“It reinforced the education I got at Swarthmore, which was very much explicative. You didn’t care who wrote a poem, you just read it,” Menaker told the Paris Review in 2014.

From Seattle Times

Wolfe’s writing can oscillate between graciously beautiful and being almost too explicative.

From New York Times

Valdez used a double explicative when asked t0 describe his initial reaction to his miss of a wide-open net in Seattle’s win at Orlando City on Sunday.

From Seattle Times

When asked about Trump's assertion that he was going to get Mexico to pay for his proposed border wall, Fox used an explicative to make his point the country would never do so.

From US News