Meaning & use

clarify

verb·Academic

To make something clearer or easier to understand by explaining it more fully.

See it in a sentence

Could you clarify what you meant by that last comment?

The teacher clarified the instructions after several students looked confused.

A note on using this word

"Clarify" is commonly followed directly by a noun or a wh-clause, such as "clarify the point" or "clarify what happened."

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

confuseobscure

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