as in interpretive
serving to explain
a dearth of explicative material to help the layman understand the difficult subject matter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of explicative
While Clarkson was amazed by her skills, Parton was able to slip in an explicative on daytime television.
—
Vulture, 21 Dec. 2022
Much of the dialogue is obvious and explicative; young Bode sometimes sounds like a middle-aged professor.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2020
There are periodic explicative orations about the state of the nation.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2019
Video posted on the Twitter feed of Robin Bell shows the explicative term in question emblazoned across the wall of the hotel, backed by a cascade of poop emojis.
—Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, 14 Jan. 2018
Vulture, 21 Dec. 2022
Much of the dialogue is obvious and explicative; young Bode sometimes sounds like a middle-aged professor.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2020
There are periodic explicative orations about the state of the nation.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2019
Video posted on the Twitter feed of Robin Bell shows the explicative term in question emblazoned across the wall of the hotel, backed by a cascade of poop emojis.
—Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, 14 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explicative
Adjective
-
This illustrative image from October 5, 2021, shows a magnetic resonance imaging machine at Neurospin in Gif-sur-Yvette, southwest of Paris.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
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An illustrative example of this approach is the joint initiative of the UN and Remesh, implemented in 2021, with an AI powered platform.—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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The curved, accessible walkways are clearly signed and more than one explanatory exhibit demonstrates the superiority of planting indigenous or highly adaptive plants.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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But when today’s racial achievement gaps are attributed to more nebulous forms of discrimination—like implicit bias in standardized testing—the explanatory force begins to wane.—
Idrees Kahloon,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explicative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explicative. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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