elaborate

[ih-lab-er-it, ih-lab-uh-reyt]

adjective

1. worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness.

   elaborate preparations; elaborate care.

   Synonyms: painstaking
   Antonyms: simple

2. marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated; ornate.

verb (used with object)

elaborated, elaborating 

1. to work out carefully or minutely; develop to perfection.

   Synonyms: improve, refine

2. to add details to; expand.

3. to produce or develop by labor.

4. Physiology.,  to convert (food, plasma, etc.) by means of chemical processes into a substance more suitable for use within the body.

verb (used without object)

elaborated, elaborating 

1. to add details in writing, speaking, etc.; give additional or fuller treatment (usually followed by on orupon ).

   to elaborate upon a theme or an idea.

   Synonyms: improve, refine

elaborate

/ ɪˈlæbərətɪv /

adjective

1. planned or executed with care and exactness; detailed

2. marked by complexity, ornateness, or detail

verb

1. (intr; usually foll by on or upon) to add information or detail (to an account); expand (upon)

2. (tr) to work out in detail; develop

3. (tr) to make more complicated or ornate

4. (tr) to produce by careful labour; create

5. (tr) physiol to change (food or simple substances) into more complex substances for use in the body

Other Word Forms

• elaborately adverb
• elaborateness noun
• elaborative adjective
• elaborator noun
• nonelaborate adjective
• nonelaborately adverb
• nonelaborateness noun
• nonelaborating adjective
• nonelaborative adjective
• quasi-elaborate adjective
• quasi-elaborately adverb
• self-elaborated adjective
• superelaborate adjective
• superelaborately adverb
• superelaborateness noun
• unelaborate adjective
• unelaborately adverb
• unelaborateness noun
• unelaborated adjective
• well-elaborated adjective
• elaboration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of elaborate¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin ēlabōrātus (past participle of ēlabōrāre ) worked out, equivalent to ē- intensive prefix + labōr- “work” + -ātus adjective suffix; e- ¹, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of elaborate¹

C16: from Latin ēlabōrāre to take pains, from labōrāre to toil

Synonym Study

Elaborate, labored, studied apply to that which is worked out in great detail. That which is elaborate is characterized by great, sometimes even excessive, minuteness of detail: elaborate preparations for a banquet. That which is labored is marked by excessive, often forced or uninspired, effort: a labored style of writing. That which is studied is accomplished with care and deliberation, and is done purposely, sometimes even having been rehearsed: a studied pose.

Example Sentences

“Memories lose their meaning,” John sings, although he knows that “he’ll often stop and think about them,” referring, yet again, to the past’s elaborate layers of character and setting.

From Salon

A Supreme Court judge said Patterson's crimes were the "worst category" for offending and involved an "elaborate cover-up".

From BBC

It was all part of an elaborate trick to hide the reality on the ground and give the Allies the element of surprise they needed to launch their attack.

From BBC

The musical numbers are more elaborate than karaoke acts, but the volume is contained in deference to the Getty Villa’s neighbors, draining the staging of some of its theatrical power.

From Los Angeles Times

The president’s hair looked weird, as if his hairdresser didn’t have enough time to work it into the elaborate combover he’s sported for years.

From Salon