elaborate

elaborate — adjective

IPA/ɪˈlæbərət/
KK[ɪlˈæbrət]IPA/ɪˈlæbərət/
  • elaboratepositive
  • more elaboratecomparative
  • most elaboratesuperlative

1. made or done with many small parts or careful details — for example, a plan with

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

made or done with many small parts or careful details — for example, a plan with many connected steps, a design with decorative touches, or a ceremony with many special elements.

Example

The wedding cake had an elaborate design with flowers and gold patterns.

collocation: elaborate design / elaborate plan

Sumin spent weeks creating an elaborate model of the solar system for her class.

Common collocations
  • elaborate design
  • elaborate plan
  • elaborate scheme
  • elaborate costume
  • elaborate ceremony
  • elaborate system
  • elaborate pattern
Synonyms
  • intricate

    focuses on complex interconnected parts or patterns — often for lace, carving, machinery

  • complex

    emphasises many connected parts; less visual/decorative than 'elaborate'

  • ornate

    heavily decorated, especially with fancy details — mainly for visual art, furniture, architecture

Antonyms
  • simple

    without many parts or details — the opposite in every context

  • plain

    unadorned, without decoration — specifically for visual appearance

Usage Note

Often describes things that are physically decorated (designs, patterns, costumes, cakes) as well as abstract plans (strategies, schemes, systems).

Common Mistakes

The cake was very elaborate' (when you mean simply 'pretty').
The cake had an elaborate design with hand-made sugar flowers.
'elaborate' implies many careful details, not just a general positive quality.

elaborate — verb

IPA/iˈlæb.ə.reɪt/
KK[ɪlˈæbrət]IPA/iˈlæb.ə.reɪt/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

"Elaborate" describes something with many careful details, whether the details are decorative (a costume, a cake) or structural (a plan, a system). "Intricate" emphasises how the parts connect or weave together — an intricate lace pattern or a watch mechanism has parts that depend on each other in a fine-grained way. "Complex" is the broadest of the four: it simply means something has many interrelated parts, without implying decoration or thoroughness. "Ornate" is purely visual — it describes heavy, showy decoration on objects like furniture, buildings, or jewellery. A plan can be elaborate but never ornate; a cathedral can be both intricate (in its stonework) and ornate (in its decoration). For learner writing: use "elaborate" when the key idea is care and detail; use "intricate" when the key idea is how parts fit together; use "complex" as the safe, general choice; and reserve "ornate" for things you can see.

elaborate ↗intricate ↗complex ↗ornate ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • highly elaborate
  • extremely elaborate
  • increasingly elaborate
  • more elaborate

Prepositions

  • elaborate on
  • elaborate upon

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'elaboratus', the past participle of 'elaborare', meaning 'to work out with effort'. 'E-' here means 'out' and 'laborare' means 'to work' (related to English 'labour'). The word entered English in the late 1500s, first as a verb meaning 'to produce by labour', then as an adjective meaning 'carefully worked out' by the 1700s. The two modern meanings — one about giving more detail (verb) and one about being full of detail (adjective) — grew from this same root.