explanation
noun
Simple meaning
Something that explains, makes understandable.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehkspluhnayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Something that explains, makes understandable.
“An explanation for the UFO sightings was easily found.”
The act or process of explaining.
“The explanation was long and drawn-out.”
A resolution of disputed points pursuant to discussion; a mutual clarification of disputed points; reconciliation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Something that explains, makes understandable.
Used this way, explanation is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“An explanation for the UFO sightings was easily found.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “explanation for …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: explanation for …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Explainsnoun
“An explanation for the UFO sightings was easily found.”
Explainingnoun
“The explanation was long and drawn-out.”
More ways to use explanation
- “I heard his explanation of the accident.”noun
- “The explanation was very simple.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A challenge to defend what someone has said.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- hypothesisnoun
- theorynoun
- explainverb
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.