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explanation - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | explanation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | clarification; reason |
| Synonyms: | account, annotation, answer, breakdown, brief, cause, comment, commentary, confession, definition, demonstration, description, details, display, elucidation, evidence, example, excuse, exposition, expression, gloss, history, illustration, information, interpretation, justification, meaning, mitigation, motive, narration, note, recital, rendition, report, resolution, sense, showing, significance, specification, statement, story, summary, tale, talking, telling, vindication, writing, explication |
| Antonyms: | complication |
| Main Entry: | alibi |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | defense against charges of wrongdoing; evidence of absence |
| Synonyms: | account, affirmation, allegation, answer, assertion, assurance, avowal, case, cover, declaration, excuse, explanation, fish story*, justification, plea, pretext, profession, proof, reason, reply, retort, song and dance*, stall, statement, vindication, airtight case, cop-out |
| Notes: | an alias is an assumed name, an alibi is a form of defense whereby a defendant attempts to prove that he or she was elsewhere when the crime in question was committed, while an excuse is an explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | annotation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | explanatory note |
| Synonyms: | comment, commentary, definition, elucidation, exegesis, explanation, footnote, gloss, glossary, illustration, interpretation, note, observation, explication |
| Antonyms: | blank |
| Main Entry: | answer |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reply; reaction |
| Synonyms: | acknowledgment, back talk, close, comeback, comment, cooler*, crack, defense, disclosure, echo, elucidation, explanation, feedback, guff*, interpretation, justification, key, lip*, observation, pay dirt*, plea, quick fix*, rebuttal, refutation, rejoinder, remark, repartee, report, resolution, response, result, retort, return, riposte, sign, solution, statement, vindication, wisecrack, antiphon, backcap, band-aid, counterclaim, parting shot, rhetorical question, thank-you note, the ticket, topper |
| Antonyms: | question |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | apology |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | offering of remorse, regret |
| Synonyms: | acknowledgment, admission, amends, atonement, concession, confession, defense, excuse, explanation, extenuation, justification, mea culpa, mitigation, plea, redress, reparation, vindication |
| Antonyms: | accusation, censure, charge, complaint, condemnation, criticism, defiance, indictment |
| Main Entry: | caption |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | heading; short description |
| Synonyms: | explanation, head, inscription, legend, title, underline, rubric, subtitle |
| Main Entry: | commentary |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | analysis |
| Synonyms: | annotation, appreciation, comment, consideration, criticism, critique, description, discourse, exegesis, explanation, exposition, gloss, narration, notes, observation, remark, review, treatise, obiter dictum, voice-over |
| Main Entry: | definition |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | description |
| Synonyms: | annotation, answer, clarification, clue, comment, commentary, cue, delineation, demarcation, denotation, determination, diagnosis, drift, elucidation, explanation, exposition, fixing, gloss, interpretation, key, outlining, rationale, rendition, representation, solution, terminology, translation, analogue, characterization, delimitation, exemplification, explication, expounding, formalization, individuation, rendering, settling, signification, statement of meaning |
| Antonyms: | ambiguity, nonsense, vagueness |
| Main Entry: | exposé |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | disclosure |
| Synonyms: | betrayal, confession, construction, exegesis, explanation, exposition, exposure, interpretation, revelation, truth, divulgence, explication, exposal, uncovering |
| Antonyms: | secret, silence |
| Main Entry: | hypothesis |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | theory |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, assignment, assumption, axiom, basis, belief, conclusion, condition, conjecture, data, deduction, demonstration, derivation, explanation, foundation, ground, guess, inference, interpretation, layout, philosophy, plan, position, postulate, premise, principle, proposal, proposition, rationale, reason, scheme, shot in the dark*, speculation, suggestion, supposition, surmise, system, term, theorem, thesis, apriority, attribution, lemma, presupposition, starting point, tentative law |
| Antonyms: | measurement, proof, reality, truth, calcualtion |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | indication |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | evidence, clue |
| Synonyms: | augury, cue, earnest, explanation, expression, gesture, hint, implication, index, inkling, intimation, manifestation, mark, nod, note, notion, omen, pledge, portent, preamble, proof, reminder, show, sign, signal, significant, suggestion, symptom, telltale, token, trace, vestige, warning, wind*, wink*, adumbration, attestation, auspice, forewarning, indicia, prefiguration, prognostic, prolegomenon, signifier |
| Antonyms: | misinformation |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | interpretation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | understanding |
| Synonyms: | analysis, apprehension, assimilation, awareness, clarification, comprehension, discernment, explanation, grasp, grip, insight, judgment, knowing, meaning, perception, reading, slant, translation |
| Main Entry: | justification |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, excuse |
| Synonyms: | absolution, account, acquittal, advocacy, answer, apologia, apology, approval, argument, basis, confirmation, defense, exculpation, exoneration, explanation, extenuation, grounds, idea, mitigation, palliation, palliative, plea, pretext, raison d'être, rationale, rationalization, rebuttal, redemption, reply, response, salvation, sanctification, song and dance*, story, support, validation, vindication, warrant, whatfor, wherefore*, whitewashing, whole idea, why and wherefore |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | manifestation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | exhibition, proof |
| Synonyms: | appearance, demonstration, disclosure, display, explanation, exposure, expression, indication, instance, mark, meaning, phenomenon, revelation, show, sign, symptom, token, materialization |
| Antonyms: | concealment, cover, hiding, obscurity, vagueness |
| Main Entry: | narration |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | description, reading |
| Synonyms: | account, anecdote, explanation, narrative, recital, rehearsal, relation, report, story, tale, telling, yarn*, recountal, recounting, storytelling, voice-over |
| Antonyms: | concealment, suppression |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | paraphrase |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | translation, interpretation |
| Synonyms: | digest, explanation, rehash, rendition, summary, version, rendering, rephrasing, restatement, rewording |
| Antonyms: | quotation |
| Main Entry: | preface |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | introduction |
| Synonyms: | beginning, explanation, foreword, overture, preamble, preliminary, prelude, proem, prologue, exordium, prelusion, prolegomenon |
| Antonyms: | appendix, conclusion, ending, epilogue, finish |
| Main Entry: | prologue |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | preface |
| Synonyms: | beginning, explanation, foreword, introduction, opening, overture, preamble, prelude, proem, exordium, prolegomenon |
| Main Entry: | rationale |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | logic for belief, action |
| Synonyms: | account, excuse, explanation, exposition, grounds, hypothesis, justification, motivation, motive, philosophy, principle, raison d'être, rationalization, reason, reasons, song and dance*, sour grapes, story*, the big idea, the whole idea, theory, whatfor, why and wherefore, whyfor |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | remark |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | comment, observation |
| Synonyms: | acknowledgment, annotation, assertion, attention, back talk, bon mot, cognizance, comeback, commentary, conclusion, consideration, crack*, declaration, elucidation, exegesis, explanation, explication, exposition, expression, gloss, heed, illustration, interpretation, mention, mind, note, notice, obiter dictum, observance, opinion, point, recognition, reflection, regard, saying, statement, talk, thought, two cents' worth, utterance, wisecrack, witticism, word |
| Antonyms: | silence |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
