Meanings
adjectiveself-explanatory (comparative more self-explanatory, superlative most self-explanatory)
comparative more self-explanatory · superlative most self-explanatory
- Obvious, having a nature that makes it clear or that explains itself.
Antonyms: un-self-explanatory
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveObvious, having a nature that makes it clear or that explains itself.
Opposite
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveneeding no explanation
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*swé?
- Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
- Proto-Germanic*selbaz
- Old Englishself
- Old Englishself-
- Middle Englishself-
- Englishself-
- Englishexplanatory
- Englishself-explanatory
From self- + explanatory.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُفَسِّر نَفْسَهُ بِنَفْسِهِ, مَفْهُوم بِذَاتِهِ
- مُفَسِّر نَفْسَهُ بِنَفْسِهِ (mufassir nafsahu binafsihi)explaining itself
- مَفْهُوم بِذَاتِهِ (mafhūm biḏātihi)explaining itself
- لَا يَتَطَلَّبُ تَفْسِيرًا (lā yataṭallabu tafsīran)explaining itself
Bulgarian очевиден
- очевиден (očeviden)explaining itself
Czech všeříkající, samozřejmý
- všeříkajícíexplaining itself
- samozřejmýexplaining itself
- očividnýexplaining itself
Dutch vanzelfsprekend, zelfverklarend
- vanzelfsprekendexplaining itself
- zelfverklarendexplaining itself
- voor zich sprekendexplaining itself
- zich vanzelf wijzendexplaining itself
Finnish itsestään selvä, itsensä selittävä
- itsestään selväexplaining itself
- itsensä selittäväexplaining itself
French évident, qui se passe d'explication
- évidentexplaining itself
- qui se passe d'explicationexplaining itself
- qui va de soiexplaining itself
German selbsterklärend, selbstverständlich
- selbsterklärendexplaining itself
- selbstverständlichexplaining itself
Hebrew מוּבָן מֵאֵלָיו
- מוּבָן מֵאֵלָיו (muván me'eláv)explaining itself
Hungarian nyilvánvaló, kézenfekvő
- nyilvánvalóexplaining itself
- kézenfekvőexplaining itself
- egyértelműexplaining itself
- magától értetődőexplaining itself
Indonesian swatafsir
- swatafsirexplaining itself
Italian autoesplicativo, intuitivo
- autoesplicativoexplaining itself
- intuitivoexplaining itself
Polish oczywisty, zrozumiały sam przez się
- oczywistyexplaining itself
- zrozumiały sam przez sięexplaining itself
Portuguese autoexplicativo, intuitivo
- autoexplicativoexplaining itself
- intuitivoexplaining itself
Russian говоря́щий, самоочеви́дный
- говоря́щий (govorjáščij)explaining itself
- самоочеви́дный (samoočevídnyj)explaining itself
- я́сный (jásnyj)explaining itself
Spanish autoexplicativo, autoexplicador
- autoexplicativoexplaining itself
- autoexplicadorexplaining itself
Cite this entry
APA
self-explanatory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-explanatory
MLA
“self-explanatory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-explanatory. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-explanatory,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-explanatory.
Source: self-explanatory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.