Word family noun explaining explanation adjective unexplained explanatory explicable ≠ inexplicable verb explain adverb inexplicably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishexplanatoryex‧plan‧a‧to‧ry /ɪkˈsplænətəri $ -tɔːri/ ●○○ adjective INSTRUCTIONSgiving information about something or describing how something works, in order to make it easier to understand There are explanatory notes at the end of each chapter. → self-explanatoryExamples from the Corpus
explanatory• Marxism's main flaw is its insistence on economics and the economic category of class as the one fundamental explanatory factor.• As an example of the kinds of subtle relationships that exist among different explanatory factors, the Appendix reconsiders the 1976 data.• These lessons were contained in revisions to the constitution and in the explanatory legislation that codified its clauses.• The information desk has maps and explanatory pamphlets.• The explanatory power of concepts can he enhanced if they are applied in contexts with which the comparativist is most familiar.• The distinction between descriptive research and explanatory research is often very blurred.• A detailed case study approach is also called for by the nature of the explanatory variables that will be proposed.explanatory notes• This should be annotated with explanatory notes for clarification. 