Underexplain

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To provide an explanation that is incomplete or lacks sufficient detail to be clear
2. To describe or clarify something without giving enough information for full understanding
3. To make a statement or explanation that does not fully or adequately cover the subject

Etymology: "Underexplain" is a plain formation: the prefix "under-", meaning "insufficiently" or "too little," attached to "explain." The prefix traces back through Old English "under" to a Proto-Germanic root, and it has been used in English for centuries to mark an action carried out to too small an extent, as in "underestimate" and "undercook." Its only job here is to say that the explanation was given, but not in enough depth. "Explain" itself comes from Latin "explanare," meaning "to make level or flat," built from "ex-" ("out") and "planus" ("flat"). The literal sense was spreading something out until it was smooth and plain, and that image of making something clear survives in the modern meaning. Adding "under-" to it produces a word meaning that the clearing-up was done only partway.

Synonyms: oversimplify, understate, minimize, neglect, omit

Antonyms: overexplain, elaborate, clarify, expand, detail