Meaning & use
elucidate
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Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitiveformal
To make something easier to understand by explaining it clearly.
Grammar: Often takes an object: elucidate the problem; can also stand alone: could you elucidate?
Patterns
- elucidate something
- elucidate on something
The professor elucidated the theory with a simple diagram.
Could you elucidate your reasons for leaving?
The report elucidates how the funds were spent.
Word forms
| third person singular | elucidates |
|---|---|
| past tense | elucidated |
| past participle | elucidated |
| -ing form | elucidating |
Common combinations
- elucidate the meaning
- The notes elucidate the meaning of the poem.
- elucidate a point
- Let me elucidate this point with an example.
- further elucidate
- The study will further elucidate the causes of the disease.
- elucidate the process
- A flow chart can elucidate the process.
- help to elucidate
- The experiment helped to elucidate how the cells grow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- explain
- Explain is the everyday word, while elucidate sounds formal and suggests shedding light on something hard.
- clarify
- Clarify means to remove confusion about something already said, while elucidate means to explain a difficult matter in detail.
- illuminate
- Illuminate is more figurative and poetic, and often suggests new insight.
- spell out
- Spell out is informal and means to state something in simple, clear detail.
Opposites
Word family
- elucidation noun
- a clear explanation
- elucidatory adjective
- serving to explain (rare)
- lucid adjective
- clear and easy to understand
- lucidity noun
- clarity
Commonly confused: elucidate or elicit? elucidate or allude?
elucidate vs elicit
Elicit means to draw out a response or information, while elucidate means to explain.
elucidate vs allude
Allude means to refer to indirectly, while elucidate means to make clear.
Practice
The lecturer used several examples to ___ the difficult concept.
Choose one answer.
Elucidate means to explain clearly. Elicit, allude and elude are look-alikes with different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “elucidate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.