| Noun | 1. | explanation - a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.; "the explanation was very simple"; "I expected a brief account"statement - a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc; "according to his statement he was in London on that day" explanandum, explicandum - (logic) a statement of something (a fact or thing or expression) to be explained explanans - (logic) statements that explain the explicandum; the explanatory premises simplification - an explanation that omits superfluous details and reduces complexity accounting - a convincing explanation that reveals basic causes; "he was unable to give a clear accounting for his actions" reason - an explanation of the cause of some phenomenon; "the reason a steady state was never reached was that the back pressure built up too slowly" justification - a statement in explanation of some action or belief exposition - an account that sets forth the meaning or intent of a writing or discourse; "we would have understood the play better if there had been some initial exposition of the background" explication - a detailed explanation of the meaning of something deriving, etymologizing, derivation - (historical linguistics) an explanation of the historical origins of a word or phrase definition - a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol interpretation - an explanation that results from interpreting something; "the report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence" walk-through - a thorough explanation (usually accompanied by a demonstration) of each step in a procedure or process; "she gave me a walk-through of my new duties" |
| 2. | explanation - thought that makes something comprehensibleinterpreting, rendering, rendition, interpretation - an explanation of something that is not immediately obvious; "the edict was subject to many interpretations"; "he annoyed us with his interpreting of parables"; "often imitations are extended to provide a more accurate rendition of the child's intended meaning" cerebration, intellection, mentation, thinking, thought process, thought - the process of using your mind to consider something carefully; "thinking always made him frown"; "she paused for thought" rationale, principle - (law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature); "the rationale for capital punishment"; "the principles of internal-combustion engines" cornerstone, fundament, groundwork, basis, foundation, base - the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained; "the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture" key - something crucial for explaining; "the key to development is economic integration" rationalization, rationalisation - the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason theory - a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory" | |
| 3. | explanation - the act of explaining; making something plain or intelligible; "I heard his explanation of the accident"speech act - the use of language to perform some act elucidation - an act of explaining that serves to clear up and cast light on explication - the act of making clear or removing obscurity from the meaning of a word or symbol or expression etc. |