clarify

Clarify means to clear up confusion and make it all understandable. In a heart-breaking text, she clarified that she never ever wanted to see him again. It also means to remove impurities in a liquid; you clarify butter by gently heating it.

Clarify and clear are related, of course, and clear means you can see right through it. If you clarify your intention or your meaning, others will understand it clearly. If you aren't clear at the outset, you might find the need to clarify what you want later.

Definitions of clarify
  1. verb
    make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating
    “clarify the butter”
    “clarify beer”
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    type of:
    alter, change, modify
    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
  2. verb
    make clear and (more) comprehensible
    “clarify the mystery surrounding her death”
    synonyms: clear up, elucidate
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    Antonyms:
    obfuscate
    make obscure or unclear
    types:
    show 8 types...
    hide 8 types...
    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
    detail
    provide details for
    exposit, expound, set forth
    state
    exemplify, illustrate, instance
    clarify by giving an example of
    particularise, particularize, specialise, specialize, specify
    be specific about
    type of:
    explain, explicate
    make plain and comprehensible
Word Family
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