clarifying questions
Requests for elaboration
Clarifying questions are questions asked to better understand something already said.
They seek specifics, examples, or confirmation rather than new information: Before I start, I have a few clarifying questions about the project scope.
The term appears often in professional and educational contexts where precision matters.
- probingThoroughly investigating something
- inquiryRequest for information
- follow-upSubsequent action on something
- diggingRemoving earth below
- unpackingRemoving items from containers
drilling down · specifics · context · understanding · elaboration · walk me through · details · nuance · ambiguity · confusion · seeking · interviewing · puzzled · huh · wait · what do you mean · restate · rephrase
- questionsinquiry, query, interrogatives, what, who
- questioningSocratic method
- Socratic questioningcounterexamples, hypotheticals
- customer servicecustomer service, service, apology, patience, callback
- yes/no questionstrue or false, do you, is it, are you, would you
clarifying questionsassertions
Statements presented as true
declarations · pronouncements · explanations · proclamations · affirmations
clarifying questionsmuddying the waters
equivocations · non-sequiturs · red herrings · deflections · double-talk
clarify, clarifying, clarified, clarifies, clarification, clarity, clearer, clearest, clearly