explicate: meaning, pronunciation and examples

/ˈɛkspləˌkeɪt/·EKS-pluh-kayt

Explicate (verb) means to explain an idea or text in detail.

What does “explicate” mean?

  1. 1

    verbto explain an idea or text in detail

    The professor explicated the poem line by line.

Explicate at a glance

Part of speech
verb
CEFR level
C2 (proficient)
Pronunciation
/ˈɛkspləˌkeɪt/ · EKS-pluh-kayt

How to use “explicate” correctly

Academic. Used mainly for analyzing texts, theories and arguments. In everyday English, just say “explain”.

Synonyms (similar meaning)

Word family

  • explication
  • explicable
  • inexplicable

“explicate” is on these word lists

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