Meanings
comparative more explanatory · superlative most explanatory
- Intended to serve as an explanation.
Below the diagram is an explanatory text.
- Disposed to explain.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveserving or intended to explain or make clear
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰs
- Proto-Italic*eks
- Latinex
- Latinex-
- Proto-Indo-European*pleth₂-?
- Proto-Indo-European*pel-?
- Proto-Indo-European*pleh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*pl̥h₂nós
- Proto-Italic*plānos
- Latinplānus
- Latinexplānō
- Latinexplānātor
- Late Latinexplānātōrius
- Englishexplanatory
From Late Latin explānātōrius, from Latin explānāt-, past-participle stem of explānāre (“to explain”). Displaced Old English ġereclīċ.
More words from Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian обяснителен
- обяснителен (objasnitelen)serving as an explanation
Catalan explicatiu
- explicatiuserving as an explanation
Chinese Mandarin 说明的, 解释的
- 说明的serving as an explanation
- 解释的serving as an explanation
Danish forklarende, oplysende
- forklarendeserving as an explanation
- oplysendeserving as an explanation
Finnish selitys-, selittävä
- selitys-serving as an explanation
- selittäväserving as an explanation
French explicatif
- explicatifserving as an explanation
German erklärend
- erklärendserving as an explanation
Hindi व्याख्यात्मक, व्याख्यायुक्त
- व्याख्यात्मक (vyākhyātmak)serving as an explanation
- व्याख्यायुक्त (vyākhyāyukt)serving as an explanation
Hungarian magyarázó, értelmező
- magyarázóserving as an explanation
- értelmezőserving as an explanation
Italian esplicativo
- esplicativoserving as an explanation
Norwegian Bokmål forklarende
- forklarendeserving as an explanation
Polish wyjaśniający, objaśniający
- wyjaśniającyserving as an explanation
- objaśniającyserving as an explanation
Romanian explicativ
- explicativserving as an explanation
Russian объясни́тельный, поясни́тельный
- объясни́тельный (obʺjasnítelʹnyj)serving as an explanation
- поясни́тельный (pojasnítelʹnyj)serving as an explanation
Spanish explicativo
- explicativoserving as an explanation
Turkish açıklayıcı
- açıklayıcıserving as an explanation
Ukrainian поя́снювальний, тлума́чний
- поя́снювальний (pojásnjuvalʹnyj)serving as an explanation
- тлума́чний (tlumáčnyj)serving as an explanation
Cite this entry
explanatory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/explanatory
“explanatory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/explanatory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “explanatory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/explanatory.
Source: explanatory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.