explanation
Americannoun
-
the act or process of explaining.
- Synonyms:
- description, interpretation, exposition, explication, elucidation
-
something that explains; a statement made to clarify something and make it understandable; exposition.
an explanation of a poem.
-
a meaning or interpretation.
to find an explanation for a mystery.
-
a mutual declaration of the meaning of words spoken, actions, motives, etc., with a view to adjusting a misunderstanding or reconciling differences.
After a long and emotional explanation they were friends again.
noun
-
the act or process of explaining
-
a statement or occurrence that explains
-
a clarification of disputed terms or points; reconciliation
Other Word Forms
- overexplanation noun
- preexplanation noun
- reexplanation noun
Etymology
Origin of explanation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English explanacioun, from Latin explānātiōn-, stem of explānātiō, from explānāt(us) “made understandable” (past participle of explānāre “to smooth out, make understandable”) + -iō -ion; explain
Explanation
An explanation is a statement about how or why something is the way it is. If you're failing math, you'd better come up with a good explanation to give to your parents. Explanation is from the same Latin word as explain: explanare, which means make clear. Because explanation and explain are so closely related, people often try to shoehorn an extra i into the spelling of explanation. Don't. You might think that explanation has the odd spelling, but it is really the more regular of the two because there is no i in explanare.
Vocabulary lists containing explanation
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another Instagram commenter wrote, “I’m really looking forward to the explanation for this one — the ‘Mayor of Flavortown’ having a blast with the ‘Mayor of Misogyny Town.’
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
It may be easy to point the finger at individual investors, computer algorithms or generalists, but that doesn’t seem to be a satisfactory explanation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
The second possible explanation for the lower return for older sellers is how the transaction is managed.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
One possible explanation could be hormonal changes associated with menopause.
From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026
I froze, my mind racing to come up with some explanation, but Martha didn’t wait for an answer.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
