Elaborate Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of elaborate · 1 : to work out in detail : develop elaborate a theory · 2 : to produce by labor · 3 : to build up (something, such as complex ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut elaborate adjective SaveWord elab·​o·​rate |\i-ˈla-b(ə-)rət \ EssentialMeaningofelaborate :madeordonewithgreatcareorwithmuchdetail:havingmanypartsthatarecarefullyarrangedorplanned Theymadeelaboratepreparationsforhisvisit.Iseenowthatherbehaviorwasallpartofanelaborateplan/plot/scheme.SeeMoreExamplesThedancerswerewearingelaboratecostumes.Hetoldthestoryinelaboratedetail.anelaboratemealHide FullDefinitionofelaborate (Entry1of2) 1 :plannedorcarriedoutwithgreatcare tookelaborateprecautions 2 :markedbycomplexity,fullnessofdetail,orornateness elaborateprose elaborate verb elab·​o·​rate |\i-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt \ elaborated;elaborating Definitionofelaborate (Entry2of2) intransitiveverb 1 :toexpandsomethingindetail wouldyoucaretoelaborateonthatstatement 2 :tobecomeelaborate(seeelaborateentry1) transitiveverb 1 :toworkoutindetail:develop elaborateatheory 2 :toproducebylabor 3 :tobuildup(something,suchascomplexorganiccompounds)fromsimpleingredients OtherWordsfromelaborate Synonyms&Antonyms MoreExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutelaborate OtherWordsfromelaborate Adjective elaborately adverb elaborateness noun Verb elaboration \ i-​ˌla-​bə-​ˈrā-​shən \ noun elaborative \ i-​ˈla-​bə-​ˌrā-​tiv \ adjective Synonyms&Antonymsforelaborate Synonyms:Adjective complex, complicated, detailed, fancy, intricate, involved, sophisticated Synonyms:Verb develop, evolve, unfold Antonyms:Adjective no-frills, simple, unfancy, unsophisticated VisittheThesaurusforMore  ExamplesofelaborateinaSentence Adjective Jumpingspiders,thelargestfamilyofspiders,haveexcellenteyesightandperformelaboratecourtshipandthreatdisplays,oftencharacterizedbyritualizedbodyposturesandlegwaving. —SimonPollard,NaturalHistory,March1995 Mostly,Ithink,becauseit'swickedhottoday,I'vebeenhavingelaboratefantasiesabouttheperfecthot-weatherlunch:twodozenfreshlyopenedLittleNecksandacouplebottlesofice-coldlager.Noneofthatred"cocktail"sauceon'emeither,justlemonandcoarseblackpepper. —VladimirEstragon,WaitingforDessert,1982 Onthebreastofhergown,infineredcloth,surroundedwithanelaborateembroideryandfantasticflourishesofgoldthread,appearedtheletterA. —NathanielHawthorne,TheScarletLetter,1850 Theymadeelaboratepreparationsforhisvisit. Iseenowthatherbehaviorwasallpartofanelaborateplan. Thedancerswerewearingelaboratecostumes. Hetoldthestoryinelaboratedetail. Verb …theNationalWeatherService…advisedallcitizensinNewOrleans'swater-filledneighborhoods"totakethenecessarytoolsforsurvival."TheWeatherServiceelaborated:"Thosegoingintoatticsshouldtrytotakeanaxeorhatchetwiththemsotheycancuttheirwayontotherooftoavoiddrowningshouldrisingfloodwaterscontinuetoriseintotheattic." —ChristopherCooper&RobertBlock,Diaster,2006 Ineachevening'ssleepsustaineddreamscenarios,elaboratedoverperiodslastinguptoanhour,alternatewiththought-likementationin90-minute-cycles. —JeffreySaver,LondonReviewofBooks,4Aug.1988 I'llbegladtoelaborateifyouwanttohearmore. Shewasaskedtosaymoreaboutherearlierstatements,butshedeclinedtoelaborate. SeeMore RecentExamplesontheWeb:Adjective Wheredohiselaborate,bilinguallyrics,packedwithculturalreferencesandsordidpersonalstories,comefrom? — JavierHasse,Forbes,10Dec.2021 TheNewYorkPoliceDepartmentsaidithadbeenconsultedaboutthecity’sauthorizationofinjectionsites,butthedepartmentdidn’timmediatelyelaborate. — JenniferPeltz,ajc,30Nov.2021 Bothwereentrancedbythepageantryofthecon:thebrightlycolored,elaborate,multi-hundred-dollarcostumes;theabilitytoloseoneselfentirelyinacharacter. — EjDickson,RollingStone,21Oct.2021 Davis’harmonicvocabularyiselaborate,unpredictable,hisown. — LosAngelesTimes,14Sep.2021 YourShoesparadearemeanttobeelaborate,eye-catchingandover-the-top. — MaryColurso|[email protected],al,7Sep.2021 PhotographsfromthetimeshowMs.Browntriumphantlyastrideherheadstandingelephant,armsraisedhigh,herelaborateheaddressperfectlyinplace. — BostonGlobe.com,25July2021 Somearesimplepilesofplasticbonesandfauxheadstones;othersarequiteelaborate. — WashingtonPost,28Oct.2021 ThebreadusedinpartsofOaxacaissometimesmoreelaborate,withglazingorfrostingcreatingintricatedesignsorthefacesofsaints. — StevePadilla,LosAngelesTimes,28Oct.2021 RecentExamplesontheWeb:Verb Franksdidnotelaborateonindividualsinthesegroups. — FoxNews,20Dec.2021 Thespokeswomandidn'telaborateonhowthegovernmentwilldecideonwheretosendthedrug. — MatthewPerrone,BostonGlobe.com,19Dec.2021 Theagencyalsodidnotelaborateonthenatureoftheadditionalcriminalactivity. — GraceToohey,orlandosentinel.com,21Oct.2021 Perduedidn'telaborateonhowKempsupposedlyturnedoverGeorgiaelectionstoAbrams,andhiscampaigndidn'trespondtoCNN'srequestsforclarification. — DanielDale,CNN,8Dec.2021 Policedidnotelaborateonwhatthediscrepancieswere,andanagencyrepresentativecouldnotbereachedFridaynightforclarification. — JustinRay,LosAngelesTimes,6Dec.2021 Detectivesdidnotelaborateonwherethefingerprintwasfound,sayingtheinvestigationremainsopen. — JuliusWhighamIi,USATODAY,3Dec.2021 Harperdidnotelaborateinheremailaboutherallegationsoridentifywhomightbethesubjectofhercomplaint. — GregoryPratt,chicagotribune.com,24Nov.2021 Officialswiththeschool,whichispartoftheMaranaUnifiedSchoolDistrictnorthofTucson,didnotelaborateonwhattheincidentwas. — PaulinaPineda,TheArizonaRepublic,24Nov.2021 Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'elaborate.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. SeeMore FirstKnownUseofelaborate Adjective 1592,inthemeaningdefinedatsense1Verb 1611,inthemeaningdefinedattransitivesense2 HistoryandEtymologyforelaborate AdjectiveandVerb Latinelaboratus,frompastparticipleofelaboraretoworkout,acquirebylabor,frome-+laboraretowork—moreatlaboratory LearnMoreAboutelaborate Shareelaborate PosttheDefinitionofelaboratetoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofelaborateonTwitter TimeTravelerforelaborate Thefirstknownuseofelaboratewas in1592 Seemorewordsfromthesameyear DictionaryEntriesNearelaborate El'brus elaborate elaborater SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsforelaborate LastUpdated 26Dec2021 Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Elaborate.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elaborate.Accessed3Jan.2022. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforelaborate elaborate adjective elab·​o·​rate |\i-ˈla-bə-rət ,-ˈla-brət\ KidsDefinitionofelaborate (Entry1of2) :madeordonewithgreatcareorwithmuchdetail anelaborateceremony OtherWordsfromelaborate elaborately adverb elaborate verb elab·​o·​rate |\i-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt \ elaborated;elaborating KidsDefinitionofelaborate (Entry2of2) 1 :togivemoredetailsabout Wouldyouelaborateonwhathappened? 2 :toworkoutindetail Heelaboratedhisideas. elaborate transitiveverb elab·​o·​rate |\i-ˈlab-ə-ˌrāt \ elaborated;elaborating Medical Definitionofelaborate ofalivingorganism :toalterthechemicalmakeupof(asafoodstuff)toonemoresuitedtobodilyneeds(asofassimilationorexcretion) especially :tobuildup(complexorganiccompounds)fromsimpleingredients thetoxinelaboratedbythetetanusbacterium MorefromMerriam-Websteronelaborate Nglish:TranslationofelaborateforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofelaborateforArabicSpeakers WORDOFTHEDAY palindrome SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! 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