elucidate
Syllables: eluc·id·ate/ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdeɪt/US/əˈlusəˌdeɪt/
elucidate verb: to make (something) lucid (“bright, luminous; also, clear, transparent”).
Verb
elucidate (third-person singular simple present elucidates, present participle elucidating, simple past and past participle elucidated)
- To make (something) lucid (“bright, luminous; also, clear, transparent”).
- To make (something) clear and understandable; to clarify, to illuminate, to shed light on.
- Let me hear vvhat your ovvn conceptions are of the matter, if they tend to elucidate or reconcile.1675, Richard Baxter, “The Second Book. The Fifth Days Conference with an Arminian of Mans Natural Sinfulness and Impotency to Good, and of Free-will.”, in Richard Baxter’s Catholick Theologie: […]...
- Dining at Mr. [Samuel] Pepys's, Dr. Slayer shewed us an experiment of a wonderful nature, […] This matter or phosphorus was made out of human blood and urine, elucidating the vital flame or heate in animal bodys.1685 December 22 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 13 December 1685]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition...
Adjective
UK/ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdət/US/əˈlusəˌdət/
elucidate (comparative more elucidate, superlative most elucidate)
- Clear, understandable.
- There vvas not a greater Maſter of Perſpicuity, and elucidate Diſtinctions; vvhich look'd the better in his [John Williams'] Engliſh, that ran ſvveet upon his Tongue, eſpecially being ſet out vvith a graceful Facetiouſneſs, that hit the joint of the Matter: For his VVit, and his Judgment, never...a. 1671 (date written), John Hacket, Scrinia Reserata: A Memorial Offer’d to the Great Deservings of John Williams, D.D. […], part I, In the Savoy [London]: […] Edw[ard] Jones, for Samuel Lowndes...
- Synonyms:
- apparent, arrant, undoubted, glaring, bait, blatant, clear, clear as a bell, clear as day, clear cut
- Antonyms:
- adiaphanous, nontransparent, opacous, opacular, opaque, thick
elucidate meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam
elucidate in Tamil
- தெளிவாக்கு, விளக்கு, விளங்கச் செய்
elucidate in Urdu
- صراحت
elucidate in Bengali
- স্পষ্ট করা, ব্যাখ্যা করা
elucidate in Malayalam
- വിശദീകരിക്കുക, തെളിയിക്കുക, സ്പഷ്ടമാക്കുക
More languagesFewer languages
- elucidate in Kannada
- ವಿವರಿಸಿ ಮನದಟ್ಟುಮಾಡು, ಮನದಟ್ಟುಮಾಡು, ಬೆಳಗು, ಪ್ರಕಾಶ ಬೀರು
- elucidate in Persian
- روشن کردن rovšan kardan
Examples of elucidate in a sentence
- The antiquities of France have been elucidated by a learned and ingenious people: […]a. 1795 (date written), Edward Gibbon, “An Address, &c.”, in John Lord Sheffield [i.e., John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield], editor...
- The business however, though not perfectly elucidated by this speech, soon ceased to be a puzzle.1803 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter XIII, in Northanger Abbey; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume I...
- Peter elucidateth the Frauds in Literature by a Smock Race.1812, Peter Pindar [pseudonym; John Wolcot], “Nil Admirari; or, A Smile at a Bishop; […]. Argument.”, in The Works of Peter Pindar, Esq....
- Another appendix elucidates the S.E.C.R. headcode system.1961 July, “New Reading on Railways: The Locomotives of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway, by D. L. Bradley”, in Trains Illustrated...
Synonyms of elucidate
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
- clear as day
- clear cut
- conspicuous
- crystal clear
- cut and dried
- decided
- evident
- intuitive
- manifest
- noticeable
- obvious
- open-and-shut
- ostensible
- palpable
- patent
- plain
- plain as a haystack
- plain as a pikestaff
- plain as day
- plain as Dunstable highway
- plain as porridge
- plain as print
- plain as Salisbury
- plain as the nose on one's face
- prima facie
- res ipsa loquitur
- splendent
- straightforward
- undissembled
- eyely
Antonyms
Forms of elucidate
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | elucidates |
| present participle | elucidating |
| past participle | elucidated |
| past | elucidated |
| second-person singular present (archaic) | elucidatest |
| second-person singular past (archaic) | elucidatedst |
| third-person singular present (archaic) | elucidateth |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more elucidate |
| superlative | most elucidate |
Origin of elucidate
From Late Latin ēlūcidātus, perfect passive participle of ēlūcidō (“to lighten, enlighten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ē(x)- (“out, from”) + lūcidus (“bright, clear, understandable”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), literally “to make light of (something)”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to see; to shine”). Compare French élucider.
From Late Latin ēlūcidātus (“lightened, enlightened”), see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
Words formed from elucidate
Questions about elucidate
- What does elucidate mean?
- Elucidate means to make (something) lucid (“bright, luminous; also, clear, transparent”).
- What is elucidate in Tamil?
- Elucidate in Tamil is தெளிவாக்கு, விளக்கு, விளங்கச் செய். See Elucidate meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use elucidate in a sentence?
- The antiquities of France have been elucidated by a learned and ingenious people: […]
- What part of speech is elucidate?
- Elucidate can be a verb or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce elucidate?
- Elucidate is pronounced /ɪˈl(j)uːsɪdeɪt/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of elucidate?
- The past tense of elucidate is elucidated.
Words near elucidate in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: elucidate (page history and authors); elucidate (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); elucidate (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); elucidate (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); elucidate (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); elucidate (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-elucidate.ogg.
Cite this entry: “elucidate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/elucidate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.