What does “elaborate” mean?
- 1
adjectivehaving many carefully arranged parts or details; complicated
They made elaborate plans for the wedding.
- 2
verbto give more details or explain something more fully
Could you elaborate on that point?
Elaborate at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective & verb
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /ɪˈlæbərət/ · ih-LAB-er-it
How to use “elaborate” correctly
The adjective ends in /ət/ (ih-LAB-er-it), but the verb ends in /eɪt/ (ih-LAB-uh-rayt). The verb usually takes “on”.
Common phrases with “elaborate”
- elaborate on
- an elaborate design
- elaborate preparations
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- detailed
- intricate
- complex
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- simple
- plain
Word family
- elaborately
- elaboration
“elaborate” is on these word lists
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