ikˈsplān, ek- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English explanen, from Latin explanare to level, make plain or clear, from ex- ex- (I) + -planare, from planus level, flat — more at floor
transitive verb
1.
a. : to make manifest : present in detail : expound , disclose
promised to explain the secret of his success
b. : to make plain or understandable : clear of complexities or obscurity : interpret , clarify
a commentary that explains the more difficult passages of the poem
c. : to give the meaning or significance of : provide an understanding of
explained the concept in straightforward language
d. : to give the reason for or cause of : account for
was unable to explain his strange conduct
2. obsolete : to spread or open out : unfold , expand
the horse chestnut is … ready to explain its leaf — John Evelyn
3.
a. : to show the logical development of : explicate
explain an intellectual argument
b. : to subsume under a scientific theory or exhibit as an instance of a scientific law
explain natural events
c. : to deduce from stated premises : prove
explain a mathematical result
4. : to state by way of explanation — used in direct or indirect discourse
intransitive verb
1. : to give an explanation
a poet whose words intimate rather than define, suggest rather than … explain — Irwin Edman
2. obsolete : to speak one's mind
the public … begins to explain upon him — Earl of Chesterfield
Synonyms:
account ( for ), justify , rationalize : to explain is to clarify or make acceptable to the understanding something that it finds mysterious, causeless, or inconsistent
explain an inconsistency in a financial report
there is no comprehensive theory that explains these phenomena
the mountainous character of Greece explains its division into a crowd of petty states — Edward Clodd
To account ( for ) suggests a making acceptable by the fitting of the thing to be accounted for into some acceptable scheme (as logical or mathematical consistency, or an order of nature)
their presence could not be accounted for by some temporary catastrophe, such as the Mosaic Flood — S.F.Mason
the presence of buffalo accounted for the character of the Indian civilizations frontiersmen encountered when they entered the Great Plains — R.A.Billington
account for the loss of a company's money
To justify is to account for or explain, or attempt to account for or explain, to one's or someone's satisfaction, especially by explaining away guilt or blame
the playhouse was forced to justify itself as a serious cultural endeavor — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania
decided after the second day of the hearings that not enough people were watching to justify the expense — Gilbert Seldes
an opinion justified by the facts
To rationalize in an older sense stresses the idea of something acceptable to reason but in modern use signifies frequently to justify by false, especially self-deceptive, reasoning
cooperation with those from whom we differ is possible only if we rationalize our beliefs and thus make them intelligible to those having different backgrounds — M.R.Cohen
we rationalize our cumbersome habit, taking for granted or explaining that this custom is intrinsically and logically best — A.L.Kroeber
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- explain oneself