Explanation

Noun

 * 1) The act or process of explaining
 * The explanation was long and drawn-out.
 * 1) Something that explains, makes understandable
 * An explanation for each UFO sighting was easily found.
 * 1)  An excuse, apologetic justification not based on enough evidence
 * Hoover supporters' "explanations" and former status rarely save him from modern ridicule as a useless expense.

Synonyms

 * clarification, elucidation, elaboration

Related terms

 * explain
 * explanatory
 * explicative
 * explicator
 * explicatory

Adjectives for Explanation
plausible; inaudible; immaterial; lucid; hesitating; dreaded; comprehensive; confused; ingenious; satisfactory; labored; ifti-mediate; mechanistic; unreserved; fantastic; dynamic; vivid; philosophical; disjointed; incongruous; sympathetic; voluble; abbreviated; competent; adequate; scientific; rational; palliative; indiscreet; pathological; glib; specious; consequent; blind various (pi) ; psychological; paralyzing muddled; invaluable; tardy; groundless half-true; apologetic; supreme; parenthetical; useless; attempted; flimsy; illogical overwhelming; blithe; clarifying; concise simplifying; aesthetic; petulant; facetious fundamental; reasonable; common-sense comic; struggling; tedious; elaborate; prosaic; matter-of-fact; air-tight; fictional; disarming; diluted; casual; lame; halting.

Verbs for Explanation
amplify—; bear—; clarify—; clear—; comprehend—; condemn—; confirm—; defy—; devise—; drown out—; elaborate—; emerge with—; frame—; fumble for—; grasp—; muddle—; offer—; stammer—; swallow—; tender—; wind up—; yield—; —clarifies; —involves; —rests on; —simplifies.

Thesaurus
abstraction, accomplishment, account, allegorization, analysis, answer, ascertainment, body of theory, case, case in point, cause, clarification, clearance, clearing, clearing up, commentary, construction, cracking, criticism, decipherment, decoding, definition, delineation, demonstration, demythologization, denouement, description, destigmatization, destigmatizing, determination, disclosure, disentanglement, doctrinairism, doctrinality, doctrinarity, editing, elucidation, emblem, emendation, end, end result, enlightenment, euhemerism, example, exculpation, excuse, exegesis, exemplar, exemplification, explication, exponent, expose, exposition, expounding, finding, finding-out, grounds, illumination, illustration, instance, interpretation, issue, justification, key, light, meaning, mere theory, motive, object lesson, outcome, pretense, pretext, purgation, purging, rational ground, rationale, rationalization, reason, reason why, rehabilitation, reinstatement, relevant instance, representative, resolution, resolving, restoration, result, riddling, signification, simplification, solution, solving, sorting out, speculation, stated cause, symbol, tentative explanation, the big idea, the idea, the whatfor, the wherefore, the why, theoretic, theoretical basis, theoretical structure, theoretics, theoria, theoric, theorization, theory, type, typical example, underlying reason, unified theory, unlocking, unraveling, unriddling, unscrambling, unspinning, untangling, untwisting, unweaving, upshot, vindication, working, working-out

Etymology
< explanatio: < explanare:; see explain.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: (jiěshì)
 * Danish: forklaring
 * Dutch: ,
 * Finnish:
 * German:, ,
 * Greek:


 * Hungarian:
 * Icelandic:
 * Japanese: (, setsumei)
 * Korean:
 * Portuguese: ,
 * Russian:


 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: (shuōmíng)
 * Czech:
 * Danish: forklaring
 * Dutch: ,
 * Finnish:
 * German:


 * Greek:
 * Hungarian:
 * Icelandic:
 * Portuguese: ,
 * Russian:


 * Dutch: ,


 * Greek: δικαιολογία


 * : klarigo
 * : explication
 * : spiegazione
 * : 설명


 * : forklaring
 * : explicaţie
 * : explicación
 * : వివరణ (vivaraNa)