1 explanatorily | Definition of explanatorily

explanatory

adjective
ex·​plan·​a·​to·​ry | \ ik-ˈspla-nə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce explanatory (audio) \

Definition of explanatory

: serving to explain explanatory notes

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Other Words from explanatory

explanatorily \ ik-​ˌspla-​nə-​ˈtȯr-​ə-​lē How to pronounce explanatorily (audio) \ adverb

Examples of explanatory in a Sentence

There are explanatory notes at the front of the book. the explanatory section has as its heading “What the New Tax Changes Mean”

Recent Examples on the Web

The Wall: Unknown Stories, Unintended Consequences project, led by The Arizona Republic and involving more than 30 USA TODAY Network journalists from California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, won the Pulitzer for explanatory journalism. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, "USA TODAY Network wins 3 Pulitzer Prizes for border wall, heroin reporting and editorials," 16 Apr. 2018 Its explanatory scope has been tried — and tried, and tried — and is yet to be found wanting. John Hirschauer, National Review, "Angela Rye Knows You’re Racist," 24 June 2019 Of the three Steam Labs experiments, this is probably the most self-explanatory. Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Valve's intriguing 'Steam Labs' experiments help you find new games to play in a sea of releases," 11 July 2019 The first two are self-explanatory, but the third is interesting. Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "Who Wore the Biggest Shoulders at the 2019 Met Gala? An Investigation," 7 May 2019 The 10 paintings with explanatory wall labels would be, to my mind, perfectly self-sufficient without them. Peter Plagens, WSJ, "‘Charline von Heyl: Snake Eyes’ Review: A Pro in Need of Poetry," 18 Dec. 2018 Some introductory text or explanatory narration would have better helped historically ground viewers, who need to juggle a lot of information. Kimberly Reed, New York Times, "Review: Tracking ‘Dark Money’ in Montana Elections," 12 July 2018 The fluid structure, which allows the past to make brief explanatory returns, accommodates significant leaps in time. Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "The women of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns,' casting a spell onstage," 5 June 2018 Now restored to their original splendor, and enhanced by far more explanatory information on display here, the magnificent Cast Courts invite us to marvel at the excellence of the then-novel technology behind all these exhibits. Richard Cork, WSJ, "Worthy Imitations Worth a Visit," 18 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'explanatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of explanatory

1600, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for explanatory

explanatory

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of explanatory

: made or included in order to explain something

explanatory

adjective
ex·​plan·​a·​to·​ry | \ ik-ˈspla-nə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce explanatory (audio) \

Kids Definition of explanatory

: giving explanation explanatory notes

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