elaborate
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When pronounced with an unstressed final vowel, elaborate is an adjective that means richly detailed or complex: The tribal elders wore elaborate headgear. They unveiled an elaborate plan for taking over the department.
The verb elaborate has a long final vowel and means to expand something in detail: An audience member asked the mayor to elaborate on the implications of the new zoning rules.
Explain at length
- clarifyMake something understandable
- expandIncrease in size
- detailSingle small element
- explicateClarify through detailed analysis
spell out · flesh out · develop · amplify · unpack · elucidate · illuminate · specify
Excessively ornate or elaborate
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- ornamentalFor beauty, not function
- decorativeServing to beautify
- filigreeDelicate twisted-wire ornamentation
gilded · florid · embellished · fancy · opulent · lavish · sumptuous · bejeweled
Having many interconnected parts
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- detailedFull of specifics
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
- labyrinthineExtremely complex and winding
byzantine · convoluted · knotty · involved · sophisticated · nuanced · layered · interwoven
Overstate beyond truth
- embroiderSew decorative patterns
- overstateRepresent as greater
- magnifyIncrease perceived size
- amplifyIncrease in strength
embellish · dramatize · inflate · hyperbolize · gild · stretch · overdo · aggrandize
Showing extreme attention to detail
- painstakingExtremely careful and thorough
- thoroughComplete in every detail
- preciseExactly correct, no error
- methodicalOrganized and deliberate
careful · systematic · exhaustive · comprehensive · conscientious · scrupulous · rigorous · assiduous
expound
Explain at length
explicate · spell out · flesh out · develop · amplify · unpack · elucidate · illuminate · specify · articulate
baroque
Excessively ornate or elaborate
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- ornamentalFor beauty, not function
- decorativeServing to beautify
filigree · gilded · florid · embellished · fancy · opulent · lavish · sumptuous · bejeweled · festooned
complex
Having many interconnected parts
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- detailedFull of specifics
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
labyrinthine · byzantine · convoluted · knotty · involved · sophisticated · nuanced · layered · interwoven · interconnected
exaggerate
Overstate beyond truth
amplify · embellish · dramatize · inflate · hyperbolize · gild · stretch · overdo · aggrandize · color
meticulous
Showing extreme attention to detail
- painstakingExtremely careful and thorough
- thoroughComplete in every detail
- preciseExactly correct, no error
methodical · careful · systematic · exhaustive · comprehensive · conscientious · scrupulous · rigorous · assiduous · attentive
- decoratedadorned, bedecked, decorated, embellished, festooned
- explanationswhy, how come, explication, what happened, definition
- flashyshowy, flamboyant, glitzy, gaudy, garish
- ornateornate, embellished, decorative, ornamental, filigree
- theatricaltheatrical, dramatic, melodramatic, histrionic, hammy
- communication verbssay, speak, tell, talk, ask
elaboratesimple
Free of complexity
basic · uncomplicated · plain · straightforward · simplified
- to elaborateExplain in greater depth
- elaborate costumesOrnate, detailed clothing ensembles
- elaborate hairstylesComplex arrangements of locks
elaborated, elaboration, elaborating, elaborates, elaborately, elaborations, elaborateness, overelaborate, unelaborated