Meanings
present singular third person clarifies · participle present clarifying · participle past clarified · past clarified · first person past singular clarified · archaic present second person singular clarifiest · past second person singular clarified · archaic past second person singular clarifiedst · present singular third person clarifies · archaic present singular third person clarifieth · past singular third person clarified · past plural clarified · past subjunctive clarified · participle present clarifying · participle past clarified
- ergativesuch as wine or syrupTo make or become clear or bright by freeing from impurities or turbidity.
What's the best way to clarify cooking oil?
1 more example
Leave the wine for 24 hours and it will clarify.
- broadlyTo make or become clear or easily understood; to explain or resolve in order to remove doubt or obscurity.
Please clarify what you mean by this.
4 more examples
Over time, the situation gradually clarified.
To clarify his reason, to rectify his will.
1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), LondonWe assimilate cultural interpretations based on the value our cultural editors determine and the level of abundance we are allowed to have without violating tribal horizons. I should clarify that I am not suggesting that we are passive recipients of everything the cultural editors tell us about ourselves.
2014, Mario Martinez, The MindBody Code: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit Your Health, Longevity, and SuccessThe report does not clarify what investigation the supervisor did, if any, to assess the suspect's allegations, or how he determined that the allegations were false. Supervisors also fail to provide recommendations for how to ensure officer safety and minimize the need for force going forward.
2015, United States Department of Justice, Investigation of the Ferguson Police DepartmentSynonyms: explicitize, get straight, bring home
- obsoleteTo glorify.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make or become clear or easily understood; to explain or resolve in order to remove doubt or obscurity.
More synonyms by meaning
verbmake clear and (more) comprehensible
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinclārificō, clārificāre
- Old Frenchclarifiier
- Middle Englishclarifien
- Englishclarify
From Middle English clarifien, from Old French clarifiier, from Latin clārificō, clārificāre; clārus (“clear”) + faciō, facere (“make”). Semantically clear + -ify.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِسْتَجْلَى
- اِسْتَجْلَى (istajlā)(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
Bulgarian бистря, пречиствам
- бистря (bistrja)(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- пречиствам (prečistvam)(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- избистрям (izbistrjam)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- изяснявам (izjasnjavam)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- изяснявам се (izjasnjavam se)(intransitive) to become clear or easily understood
- пречиствам (prečistvam)to clear up
- избистрям се (izbistrjam se)(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
- изяснявам се (izjasnjavam se)(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
Catalan aclarir
- aclarir(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Chinese Mandarin 澄清
- 澄清 (chéngqīng)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Czech objasnit, vyjasnit
- objasnit(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- vyjasnit(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Dutch klaren, verduidelijken
- klaren(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- verduidelijken(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- ophelderen(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- opklarento clear up
- klaren(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
Esperanto klarigi, pliklarigi
- klarigi(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- pliklarigi(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Finnish selkeyttää, selventää
- selkeyttää(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- selventää(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- seljetäto clear up
- selvitäto clear up
- selkeytyä(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
French clarifier
- clarifier(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
German klären, klären
- klären(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- klären(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- klarstellen(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- aufklärento clear up
- klar werden(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
Greek διευκρινίζω, ξεκαθαρίζω
- διευκρινίζω (diefkrinízo)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- ξεκαθαρίζω (xekatharízo)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- ξεκαθαρίζω (xekatharízo)(intransitive) to become clear or easily understood
- διευκρινίζομαι (diefkrinízomai)(intransitive) to become clear or easily understood
Hebrew הבהיר
- הבהיר (hibhír)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Hungarian tisztáz, derít
- tisztáz(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- derít(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- leszűr(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- tisztáz(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- pontosít(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- egyértelműsít(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- kitisztulto clear up
Italian purificare, chiarificare
- purificare(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- chiarificare(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- chiarire(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- esplicitare(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Māori whakamahuki, whakamārama
- whakamahuki(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- whakamārama(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- whakapūaho(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Norwegian rydde opp, klargjøre
- rydde opp(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- klargjøre(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Persian شفافسازی کردن
- شفافسازی کردن (šaffâf-sâzi kardan)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Polish wyjaśniać, wyjaśnić
- wyjaśniać(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- wyjaśnić(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- oczyścić(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- oczyszczać(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
Portuguese clarificar, clarear
- clarificar(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- clarear(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- clarificar(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- aclarar(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- clarear(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
Romanian limpezi, clarifica
- limpezi(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- clarifica(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- purifica(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- clarifica(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- limpezi(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Russian очища́ть, чи́стить
- очища́ть (očiščátʹ)(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- чи́стить (čístitʹ)(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- проясня́ть (projasnjátʹ)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- проясни́ть (projasnítʹ)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- проясни́ться (projasnítʹsja)(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
Spanish clarificar, clarificar
- clarificar(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- clarificar(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- aclarar(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- esclarecer(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- poner en claro(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Swedish förtydliga, klargöra
- förtydliga(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- klargöra(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- tydliggöra(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Tagalog ipalinaw, ipaliwanag
- ipalinaw(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- ipaliwanag(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Thai ชี้แจง
- ชี้แจง (chíi-jɛɛng)(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
Turkish temizlemek, temizlemek
- temizlemek(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- temizlemek(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- arındırmak(''transitive'') to make clear or easily understood
- halletmekto clear up
- çözmekto clear up
- temizlenmek(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
- arınmak(intransitive) to become clear or transparent
Ukrainian очища́ти, очи́стити
- очища́ти (očyščáty)(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
- очи́стити (očýstyty)(transitive) to make clear or bright by freeing from impurities
Cite this entry
clarify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clarify
“clarify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clarify. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clarify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clarify.
Source: clarify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.