elaborate
part of speech
adjective (elaborate, more elaborate) — pronounced ih-LAB-er-it; verb (elaborate, elaborates, elaborated, elaborating) — pronounced ih-LAB-er-ate
meaning for a pupil
1) (adjective) Having many parts or details; carefully planned and complicated: «an elaborate costume». tree →
2) (verb) To give more details or explain more: «Can you elaborate on your answer?» tree →
3) (verb, formal) To develop a plan or idea in detail. tree →
sense in the lessons
In English lessons: teachers ask pupils to elaborate — add detail and examples to answers. In art and design: elaborate patterns, costumes, cakes. In stories: an elaborate plan or trick. Phrases: «elaborate on», «an elaborate plan», «elaborate decorations».
examples
- The princess wore an elaborate gown with gold stitching. tree →
- Can you elaborate on why you think the character is sad? tree →
- The thieves made an elaborate plan to steal the jewels. tree →
- Grandma baked an elaborate three-layer cake. tree →
- The cathedral has elaborate carvings. tree →
- "Please elaborate," said the teacher, "your answer is too short." tree →
- The magician's trick was very elaborate. tree →
- It is a trifle too elaborate. tree →
note
The adjective and verb are spelled the same but sound different (adjective ends «-it», verb ends «-ate»). Verb takes «on»: «elaborate on something». Noun: «elaboration». Opposite of the adjective: «simple», «plain».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «elaborate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.