CLARIFY

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Irregular inflected form: clarified

I. (verb)

Verb forms

Present simple: I / you / we / they clarify ... he / she / it clarifies

Past simple: clarified

Past participle: clarified

-ing form: clarifying

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating

Example:

clarify beer

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "clarify" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Domain category:

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

clarification (the act of removing solid particles from a liquid)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make clear and (more) comprehensible

Example:

clarify the mystery surrounding her death

Synonyms:

clarify; clear up; elucidate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "clarify" is one way to...):

explain; explicate (make plain and comprehensible)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clarify"):

demystify (make less mysterious or remove the mystery from)

clear; clear up; crystalise; crystalize; crystallise; crystallize; elucidate; enlighten; illuminate; shed light on; sort out; straighten out (make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear)

dilate; elaborate; enlarge; expand; expatiate; exposit; expound; flesh out; lucubrate (add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing)

disambiguate (state unambiguously or remove ambiguities from)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Antonym:

obfuscate (make obscure or unclear)

Derivation:

clarification (an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding)

Credits

Context examples:

It was evident that his mind was not in working order yet, and his ideas needed clarifying, for often in the middle of a plaintive strain, he would find himself humming a dancing tune that vividly recalled the Christmas ball at Nice, especially the stout Frenchman, and put an effectual stop to tragic composition for the time being.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Scientists with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA)—jointly run by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts—conducted the study to clarify the role of whole grains in helping regulate weight, blood sugar levels, and calorie (energy) use, among other benefits.

(Whole Grains Deliver on Health Benefits, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

The team’s findings have succeeded in clarifying the effect of the exovesicles released by Trypanosoma cruzi, thus contributing to identifying the mechanism that could explain the clinical manifestations of Chagas disease, as well as possible therapeutic targets.

(Scientists identify how the exosomes of the parasite responsible for Chagas disease affect heart cells, University of Granada)

This full moon might bring good news about your health, and I feel it could also clarify your feelings about a relationship—you may be ready to get engaged.