expository

English

Etymology

From exposit(ion) +‎ -ory.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ɛkˈspɑzəˌtɔɹi/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɛkˈspɒzɪtəɹi/, /ɛkˈspɒzɪtɹi/, /ɪkˈ-/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Adjective

expository (comparative more expository, superlative most expository)

  1. Serving to explain, explicate, or elucidate; expositive; of or relating to exposition.
    Synonym: expositorial
    Practicing expository writing will teach you to explain complex concepts clearly.
    • 2017 February 23, Katie Rife, “The Girl With All The Gifts tries to put a fresh spin on overripe zombie clichés”, in The Onion AV Club[1]:
      The zombie scenes are reminiscent of what you might see on a show like The Walking Dead, short bursts of extreme violence and gore punctuating expository dialogue scenes where the survivors try to figure out how they’re going to get from point A to point B.
    • 2022, Chuck Klosterman, The Nineties, New York: Penguin Press, →ISBN:
      The expository, nonmetaphorical lyrics to “Cop Killer” were dedicated to the Los Angeles Police Department: The narrator puts on black gloves and a ski mask, turns off the headlights of his car, and prepares to shoot himself some cops.

Derived terms

Translations