EXPLICATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does explicate mean? 

• EXPLICATE (verb)
  The verb EXPLICATE has 2 senses:

1. make plain and comprehensible

2. elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses

  Familiarity information: EXPLICATE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EXPLICATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they explicate    ... he / she / it explicates   
Past simple: explicated   
Past participle: explicated   
-ing form: explicating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make plain and comprehensible

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

explain; explicate

Context example:

He explained the laws of physics to his students

Hypernyms (to "explicate" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "explicate"):

interpret; rede (give an interpretation or explanation to)

account for (give reasons for)

naturalize (explain with reference to nature)

clarify; clear up; elucidate (make clear and (more) comprehensible)

comment (explain or interpret something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue explicate the movie

Derivation:

explication (a detailed explanation of the meaning of something)

explication (the act of making clear or removing obscurity from the meaning of a word or symbol or expression etc.)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

develop; explicate; formulate

Context example:

Could you develop the ideas in your thesis

Hypernyms (to "explicate" is one way to...):

conjecture; hypothecate; hypothesise; hypothesize; speculate; suppose; theorise; theorize (to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds)

Verb group:

develop (elaborate by the unfolding of a musical idea and by the working out of the rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme)

acquire; develop; evolve (gain through experience)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "explicate"):

mature (develop and work out fully in one's mind)

redevelop; reformulate (formulate or develop again, of an improved theory or hypothesis)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

explication (a detailed explanation of the meaning of something)