CLARIFY (clarified)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: clarified   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does clarify mean? 

• CLARIFY (verb)
  The verb CLARIFY has 2 senses:

1. make clear and (more) comprehensible

2. make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating

  Familiarity information: CLARIFY used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLARIFY (verb)

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 and (more) comprehensible

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

clarify; clear up; elucidate

Context example:

clarify the mystery surrounding her death

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

clarify beer

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)

 Context examples 

One of the study's goals was to clarify how human pressures on the environment might impact each step in the sensory pathways between marine organisms.

(Study considers sensory impacts of environmental change on ocean species, National Science Foundation)

Further studies will also be needed to clarify the long-term safety and efficacy of DP treatment.

(Drug Prevents Malaria in High-Risk Region, NIH)

“The recent results have clarified that for women at intermediate risk of recurrence, the majority of those do not benefit from chemotherapy,” she said.

(Study Shows Chemotherapy Not Needed To Treat Many Breast Cancers, Carol Pearson/VOA)

The researchers said identifying the gene is important because it helps to clarify the genetic mechanisms underlying ARVC, and it also makes the early detection of ARVC possible in otherwise unsuspecting people.

(Gene Causes Sudden Death in Young People, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Although this research partially clarifies the function of Vif in HIV replication, many questions remain to be answered.

(HIV-1 Infection Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A set of statements describing a group of facts that clarifies the cause, context and/or consequence of those facts.

(Explanation, NCI Thesaurus)

Some of the clauses could be confusing or missing, and you’ll need to clarify this arrangement with your lawyer’s language added.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The team then clarified the mechanisms that induced these electrical characteristics.

(Neuromorphic Metallic Nanowire Network Shows Human Brain-Like Functions, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Scientists have clarified how the Warburg effect, a phenomenon in which cancer cells rapidly break down sugars, stimulates tumor growth.

(Scientists Reveal The Relationship Between Sugar, Cancer, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Knockout mice are used as animal models for various diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, and are helping to clarify the functions of the genes studied within the fields of immunology, cancer genetics, and developmental biology.

(Knock-Out Mouse, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)