adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Intended to serve as an explanation.

   "Below the diagram is an explanatory text."

2. 2
   Disposed to explain.

Adjective

1. 1
   serving or intended to explain or make clear wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

allegorizingannotativeclarifyingcriticaldemonstrativedemythologizing

Example

More examples

"When I looked at the explanatory notes under the posts list I realized what was causing it."

Etymology

From Late Latin explānātōrius, from Latin explānāt-, past-participle stem of explānāre (“to explain”). Displaced Old English ġereclīċ.

Related phrases

explanatory dictionaryexplanatory fictionexplanatory styleself-explanatory

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.