Explanation I ˌekspləˈneɪʃn Makes Sense Perfectly Left Noun

• the most likely explanation is that his plane was delayed.
• it's the only explanation that makes any sense.
• a plausible/an alternative explanation
• to offer/provide an explanation

explanation

Word Family

• explain verb
• explanation noun
• explanatory adjective
• explicable adjective (≠ inexplicable)
1. a statement, fact, or situation that tells you why something happened; a reason given for something
• The most likely explanation is that his plane was delayed.
• It's the only explanation that makes any sense.
• a plausible/an alternative explanation
• to offer/provide an explanation
• I can't think of any possible explanation for his absence.
• I'm sure there's a perfectly simple explanation for this.
• She didn't give an adequate explanation for being late.
• The book opens with an explanation of why some drugs are banned.
• an explanation as to why he had left early
• She left the room abruptly without explanation.
• ‘I had to see you,’ he said, by way of explanation.

Extra Examples

• ‘I've worked with them before, you see,’ he added, in explanation.
• A more credible explanation now occurred to her.
• An explanation is clearly called for.
• Another quite plausible explanation presented itself.
• Her success has been so remarkable as to defy explanation.
• I can think of one possible explanation for her behaviour.
• I had no explanation for her strange behaviour.
• I suppose you deserve an explanation.
• I think you owe me an explanation.
• It's the only explanation that makes any kind of sense.
• No further explanation is necessary.
• No single clear explanation emerged from the experiments.
• Several possible explanations exist.
• She wrote to the company demanding an explanation.
• The men left quickly with no attempt at explanation.
• The simplest explanation for his achievements lies in his greater ability and superiority over his contemporaries at college.
• There is no generally accepted explanation of this practice.
• There is probably some perfectly logical explanation for their absence.
• There was no apparent explanation for the attack.
• There's sure to be a perfectly innocent explanation for all this—though I admit it looks bizarre.
• We are still waiting for a full explanation from the teacher concerned.
2. a statement or piece of writing that tells you how something works or makes something easier to understand
• Other parts of the book contain unnecessarily lengthy explanations.
• For a full explanation of how the machine works, turn to page 5.
• The teacher gave the children a detailed explanation of the story.
• He entered into a technical explanation about software and programming.

Word Origin

• late Middle English: from Latin explanatio(n-), from the verb explanare, based on planus ‘plain’.