fansplain

F4A1N1S1P3L1A1I1N1
US/ˌfænˈspleɪn/

verb

To explain something as a fan or in a fannish manner.

Scrabble 14

Meanings

verbfansplain (third-person singular simple present fansplains, present participle fansplaining, simple past and past participle fansplained)

present singular third person fansplains · participle present fansplaining · participle past fansplained · past fansplained

  1. neologismTo explain something as a fan or in a fannish manner.

    It could have actually been great if only it wasn't obsessed with fansplaining details literally nobody was curious about.

    2018 June, Ryan Syrek, “Wookie Rookie By The Bookie”, in The Reader, page 32
    2 more examples

    I’ll even fansplain away the bizarre “We Love Moms” and “Thanks Dads!” teasers—for Peanuts, a property that famously did away with parents entirely—as non-essential marketing chum, the cost of doing business in a Minionized marketplace where every animated character must be a blank slate to which literally any sentiment can be affixed.

    2015 July 28, Dan Kois, “Meghan Trainor’s People Interview About The Peanuts Movie Is a Total Disaster”, in Slate

    You can decide for yourself whether you want to search for YouTube videos that fansplain the character's full backstory before all 13 episodes of Marvel's Jessica Jones premiere November 20 #on Netflix.

    2015 November 18, John Russell, “Jonesin' For A Hero”, in Next, volume 23, number 22, page 13

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

fansplain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fansplain

MLA

“fansplain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fansplain. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fansplain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fansplain.

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