expository

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US/ɛkˈspɑzəˌtɔɹi/UK/ɛkˈspɒzɪtəɹi/UK/ɛkˈspɒzɪtɹi/UK/ɪkˈ-/

adjective

Serving to explain, explicate, or elucidate; expositive; of or relating to exposition.

“Practicing expository writing will teach you to explain complex concepts clearly.”

Meanings

adjectiveexpository (comparative more expository, superlative most expository)

comparative more expository · superlative most expository

  1. Serving to explain, explicate, or elucidate; expositive; of or relating to exposition.

    Practicing expository writing will teach you to explain complex concepts clearly.

    2 more examples

    The zombie scenes are reminiscent of what you might see on a show like The Walking Dead, short bursts of extreme violence and gore punctuating expository dialogue scenes where the survivors try to figure out how they’re going to get from point A to point B.

    2017 February 23, Katie Rife, “The Girl With All The Gifts tries to put a fresh spin on overripe zombie clichés”, in The Onion AV Club

    The expository, nonmetaphorical lyrics to “Cop Killer” were dedicated to the Los Angeles Police Department: The narrator puts on black gloves and a ski mask, turns off the headlights of his car, and prepares to shoot himself some cops.

    2022, Chuck Klosterman, The Nineties, New York: Penguin Press, →ISBN

    Synonyms: expositorial

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveServing to explain, explicate, or elucidate; expositive; of or relating to exposition.

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveserving to expound or set forth

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Ancient Greek ἐκθετικός
  • ἐκθετικός (ekthetikós)serving to explain
Dutch uitleggend, verklarend
  • uitleggendserving to explain
  • verklarendserving to explain
Spanish expositivo, expositor
  • expositivoserving to explain
  • expositorserving to explain
Swedish förklarande
  • förklarandeserving to explain
Cite this entry
APA

expository. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/expository

MLA

“expository.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/expository. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “expository,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/expository.

Source: expository on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.