expository

adjective

ex·​pos·​i·​to·​ry ik-ˈspä-zə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce expository (audio)
: of, relating to, or containing exposition
expository writing

Examples of expository in a Sentence

an expository piece on the workings of the internal-combustion engine
Recent Examples on the Web The first couple episodes begin with ominous cold opens new to the material, tackling the expository scientific explanation for the horrors to come in clever ways. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 10 Jan. 2023 Here, that means that violent crime is deployed titillatingly, and character detail evoked nicely through performance is often, then, thuddingly restated in expository dialogue. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Jan. 2023 Part of that can be attributed to the tendency to tidy up Big Conversations with pat remarks and swift expository dialogue. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2022 Despite its first act telegraphing too much via expository dialogue, the rest of the script weaves together subtleties that light up magically throughout. Courtney Howard, Variety, 10 Nov. 2022 The film’s more expository patches, in conjunction with DP Amath Niane’s bright lighting and head-on compositions, can tend toward the televisual. Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Oct. 2022 The expository opening is a bit ham-fisted, as if the writers didn't trust their viewers enough to plunge them back into the world of Westeros without a history lecture. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 22 Aug. 2022 Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon starts big and unwieldy, with a lamely expository prologue that leads into a show full of big sets, big fights, big tragedies, and big dragons. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Shot in South Africa, the film helps bridge some of the expository gap by opening with a brutal action sequence, demonstrating just how fierce Nanisca and her loyal soldiers can be. Brian Lowry, CNN, 15 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expository.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of expository was in 1628

Dictionary Entries Near expository

Cite this Entry

“Expository.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expository. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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