explicates
Makes meaning clear
Explicates is the third-person singular of explicate, meaning to explain or analyze in detail.
Where explain might suffice for simple matters, explicate suggests careful unfolding of something complex—a poem, a theory, a philosophical argument: The professor explicates the symbolism in each stanza.
The word carries an academic tone.
Provides light to
- demystifiesMakes understandable
- elucidatesMakes something understandable
- unpacksEmpties containers of contents
- deciphersInterprets coded messages
disambiguates · unravels · untangles · simplifies · reveals · resolves · distills · crystallizes
Makes something understandable
- instructsImparts knowledge or orders
- educatesGives formal instruction
- informsCommunicates facts to
- conveysTransfers or expresses
communicates · demonstrates · illustrates · expounds · lectures · guides · shows · presents
Expresses in words
- delineatesDescribes or portrays precisely
- specifiesStates precisely and explicitly
- particularizesMakes individually distinct
- enumeratesCounts and names individually
itemizes · dissects · analyzes · annotates · describes · outlines · depicts · sketches
Understands in particular way
- contextualizesSupplies surrounding information
- glossesSurface shines or annotations
- readsInterprets written symbols
- analyzesExamines in detail
deconstructs · unpacks · parses · renders · translates · annotates · critiques · examines
illuminates
Provides light to
- demystifiesMakes understandable
- elucidatesMakes something understandable
- unpacksEmpties containers of contents
deciphers · disambiguates · unravels · untangles · simplifies · reveals · resolves · distills · crystallizes · sharpens
explains
Makes something understandable
conveys · communicates · demonstrates · illustrates · expounds · lectures · guides · shows · presents · imparts
articulates
Expresses in words
- delineatesDescribes or portrays precisely
- specifiesStates precisely and explicitly
- particularizesMakes individually distinct
enumerates · itemizes · dissects · analyzes · annotates · describes · outlines · depicts · sketches · catalogues
construes
Understands in particular way
- contextualizesSupplies surrounding information
- glossesSurface shines or annotations
- readsInterprets written symbols
analyzes · deconstructs · unpacks · parses · renders · translates · annotates · critiques · examines · probes
explicatesobscures
Makes difficult to perceive
obfuscates · confuses · muddles · clouds · mystifies
explicatescomplicates
Makes more difficult
confounds · tangles · convolutes · muddles · befuddles
explicate, explication, explicated, explicating, explications