State vs. Explain — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 26, 2024
State involves presenting information clearly and succinctly without elaboration, while explain requires detailing and clarifying the subject matter to enhance understanding.
Difference Between State and Explain
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
State is about expressing or putting forward something in words, often in a clear and definitive manner, without the need for justification or explanation. It's the act of presenting facts, information, or opinions clearly and succinctly. On the other hand, explain involves making something clear or easy to understand by describing or giving information about it in more detail. It usually requires breaking down complex ideas into simpler parts, providing examples, and using analogies or comparisons.
While stating is often used in situations where information needs to be presented formally and precisely, such as in laws, regulations, or formal declarations, explaining is more about teaching, conveying understanding, or clearing up confusion. Explaining is inherently more interactive and engaging, as it involves considering the audience's background, knowledge, and needs.
In the context of communication, to state something does not necessarily require anticipating the audience's prior knowledge or questions; it is more about delivering information as it is. Conversely, to explain something effectively, one must anticipate and address potential questions or areas of confusion, tailoring the explanation to the audience's level of understanding.
State is particularly useful in settings where time is limited or when information needs to be conveyed quickly and efficiently, without the need for immediate feedback. Whereas explain is essential in educational settings, troubleshooting, and whenever understanding complex ideas, processes, or systems is necessary.
Stating is often a one-way form of communication, focusing on the transmission of information from the speaker to the listener. Explain, on the other hand, implies a two-way interaction, often requiring feedback from the audience to ensure that the explanation has been understood correctly.
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Comparison Chart
Purpose
To present information clearly without elaboration.
To make something understood through detailed info.
Communication
One-way, focusing on information transmission.
Two-way, often requiring audience feedback.
Requirement
Clarity and precision.
Understanding of the audience's knowledge level.
Common Settings
Formal declarations, laws, reports.
Educational settings, troubleshooting, discussions.
Interaction
Minimal; the focus is on the message itself.
High; involves engaging and addressing the audience.
Compare with Definitions
State
To express something in words.
He stated his name and occupation.
Explain
To clarify by giving details.
The manual explains how to install the software.
State
To indicate or specify.
The sign states the park's closing times.
Explain
To interpret or translate.
Can you explain the poem's deeper meaning?
State
To set forth formally in speech or writing.
The document states the terms of the agreement.
Explain
To provide reasons for or a cause of.
He explained his absence as a result of illness.
State
To declare or affirm.
She stated that she would not be attending the meeting.
Explain
To make clear or understandable.
The teacher explained the concept with a simple diagram.
State
To present a position or argument.
The lawyer stated his case clearly.
Explain
To make plain or comprehensible.
State
A mental or emotional condition
In a manic state.
Explain
To define; expound
We explained our plan to the committee.
State
(Informal) A condition of excitement or distress
Was in a state over going to the prom.
Explain
To offer reasons for or a cause of; justify
Explain an error.
State
A condition or mode of being, as with regard to circumstances
The office was in a state of confusion.
Explain
To justify or rationalize.
She explained away the discrepancies in the report.
State
A condition of being in a stage or form, as of structure, growth, or development
The fetal state.
Explain
Make (an idea or situation) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts
He explained the situation
‘It's a device of great age,’ the professor explained
They explained that their lives centred on the religious rituals
State
Social position or rank.
Explain
To offer reasons for the actions, beliefs, or remarks of (oneself).
State
(Physics) The condition of a physical system with regard to phase, form, composition, or structure
Ice is the solid state of water.
Explain
To make something plain or comprehensible
Let me explain.
State
Ceremony; pomp
Foreign leaders dining in state at the White House.
Explain
To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of.
She is about to explain a chapter of the Bible to the Sunday School students.
She tried to explain but he wouldn’t listen.
State
The supreme public power within a sovereign political entity
The state intervening in the economy.
Explain
To give a valid excuse for past behavior.
State
The sphere of supreme civil power within a given polity
Matters of state.
Explain
(obsolete) To make flat, smooth out.
State
A specific kind of government
The socialist state.
Explain
(obsolete) To unfold or make visible.
State
A body politic, especially one constituting a nation
The states of Eastern Europe.
Explain
(intransitive) To make something plain or intelligible.
State
One of the more or less internally autonomous territorial and political units composing a federation under a sovereign government
The 48 contiguous states of the Union.
Explain
To flatten; to spread out; to unfold; to expand.
The horse-chestnut is . . . ready to explain its leaf.
State
Of or relating to a body politic or to an internally autonomous territorial or political unit constituting a federation under one government
A monarch dealing with state matters.
The department that handles state security.
Explain
To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to expound; to unfold and illustrate the meaning of; as, to explain a chapter of the Bible.
Commentators to explain the difficult passages to you.
State
Owned and operated by a state
State universities.
Explain
To give an explanation.
State
To set forth in words; declare.
Explain
Make palin and comprehensible;
He explained the laws of physics to his students
State
A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time.
A state of being
A state of emergency
Explain
Define;
The committe explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean
State
(physics) A complete description of a system, consisting of parameters that determine all properties of the system.
Explain
Serve as a reason or cause or justification of;
Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work
Her recent divorce amy explain her reluctance to date again
State
A mess; disorder.
Absolute state
In a state
State
(computing) The stable condition of a processor during a particular clock cycle.
In the fetch state, the address of the next instruction is placed on the address bus.
State
(computing) The set of all parameters relevant to a computation.
The state here includes a set containing all names seen so far.
State
(computing) The values of all parameters at some point in a computation.
A debugger can show the state of a program at any breakpoint.
State
(sciences) The physical property of matter as solid, liquid, gas or plasma.
State
(obsolete) Highest and stationary condition, as that of maturity between growth and decline, or as that of crisis between the increase and the abating of a disease; height; acme.
State
High social standing or circumstance.
State
Pomp, ceremony, or dignity.
In state
The President's body will lie in state at the Capitol.
State
Rank; condition; quality.
State
Condition of prosperity or grandeur; wealthy or prosperous circumstances; social importance.
State
A chair with a canopy above it, often standing on a dais; a seat of dignity; also, the canopy itself.
State
(obsolete) A great person, a dignitary; a lord or prince.
State
(obsolete) Estate, possession.
State
A polity.
State
Any sovereign polity; a national or city-state government.
State
A political division of a federation retaining a notable degree of autonomy, as in the United States, Mexico, Nigeria, or India.
State
(obsolete) A form of government other than a monarchy.
State
(anthropology) A society larger than a tribe. A society large enough to form a state in the sense of a government.
State
An element of the range of the random variables that define a random process.
State
The lexical aspect (aktionsart) of verbs or predicates that do not change over time.
State
(transitive) To declare to be a fact.
He stated that he was willing to help.
State
(transitive) To make known.
State your intentions.
State
(obsolete) Stately.
State
The circumstances or condition of a being or thing at any given time.
State is a term nearly synonymous with "mode," but of a meaning more extensive, and is not exclusively limited to the mutable and contingent.
Declare the past and present state of things.
Keep the state of the question in your eye.
State
Rank; condition; quality; as, the state of honor.
Thy honor, state, and seat is due to me.
State
Condition of prosperity or grandeur; wealthy or prosperous circumstances; social importance.
She instructed him how he should keep state, and yet with a modest sense of his misfortunes.
Can this imperious lord forget to reign,Quit all his state, descend, and serve again?
State
Appearance of grandeur or dignity; pomp.
Where least of state there most of love is shown.
State
A chair with a canopy above it, often standing on a dais; a seat of dignity; also, the canopy itself.
His high throne, . . . under stateOf richest texture spread.
When he went to court, he used to kick away the state, and sit down by his prince cheek by jowl.
State
Estate; possession.
Your state, my lord, again is yours.
State
A person of high rank.
State
The principal persons in a government.
The bold designPleased highly those infernal states.
State
The bodies that constitute the legislature of a country; as, the States-general of Holland.
State
A form of government which is not monarchial, as a republic.
Well monarchies may own religion's name,But states are atheists in their very fame.
State
A political body, or body politic; the whole body of people who are united under one government, whatever may be the form of the government; a nation.
Municipal law is a rule of conduct prescribed by the supreme power in a state.
The Puritans in the reign of Mary, driven from their homes, sought an asylum in Geneva, where they found a state without a king, and a church without a bishop.
State
In the United States, one of the commonwealths, or bodies politic, the people of which make up the body of the nation, and which, under the national constitution, stand in certain specified relations with the national government, and are invested, as commonwealths, with full power in their several spheres over all matters not expressly inhibited.
State
Highest and stationary condition, as that of maturity between growth and decline, or as that of crisis between the increase and the abating of a disease; height; acme.
I do not, brother,Infer as if I thought my sister's stateSecure without all doubt or controversy.
We hoped to enjoy with ease what, in our situation, might be called the luxuries of life.
And, O, what man's condition can be worseThan his whom plenty starves and blessings curse?
State
A statement; also, a document containing a statement.
State
Stately.
State
Belonging to the state, or body politic; public.
State
To set; to settle; to establish.
I myself, though meanest stated,And in court now almost hated.
Who calls the council, states the certain day.
State
To express the particulars of; to set down in detail or in gross; to represent fully in words; to narrate; to recite; as, to state the facts of a case, one's opinion, etc.
State
The group of people comprising the government of a sovereign state;
The state has lowered its income tax
State
The territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation;
His state is in the deep south
State
A politically organized body of people under a single government;
The state has elected a new president
African nations
Students who had come to the nation's capitol
The country's largest manufacturer
An industrialized land
State
The way something is with respect to its main attributes;
The current state of knowledge
His state of health
In a weak financial state
State
The federal department in the UnitedStates that sets and maintains foreign policies;
The Department of State was created in 1789
State
The territory occupied by a nation;
He returned to the land of his birth
He visited several European countries
State
A state of depression or agitation;
He was in such a state you just couldn't reason with him
State
(chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container);
The solid state of water is called ice
State
Express in words;
He said that he wanted to marry her
Tell me what is bothering you
State your opinion
State your name
State
Put before;
I submit to you that the accused is guilty
State
Indicate through a symbol, formula, etc.;
Can you express this distance in kilometers?
Common Curiosities
What does it mean to state something?
It means to express information clearly and directly, without providing additional detail or justification.
What skills are important for explaining something well?
Skills such as understanding the audience, clear communication, patience, and the ability to break down complex ideas into simpler parts are crucial for explaining well.
How does explaining differ from stating?
Explaining involves providing clarity, detail, and understanding about a topic, whereas stating is simply presenting information.
Why is stating important?
Stating is important for clear communication, especially in formal or legal contexts where precision is crucial.
Is explaining always necessary?
No, explaining is not always necessary, especially if the audience already understands the topic or if the information is straightforward.
Is one more important than the other, stating or explaining?
Neither is more important; the context and the audience's needs determine whether stating or explaining is more appropriate.
Can something be both stated and explained?
Yes, information can first be stated and then followed up with an explanation for clarity and deeper understanding.
What makes an explanation effective?
An effective explanation is clear, tailored to the audience's level of understanding, and provides sufficient detail to foster understanding.
Can digital tools help in stating or explaining?
Yes, digital tools can aid in both stating and explaining by providing platforms for clear presentation and interactive learning.
Can stating ever lead to misunderstandings?
Yes, if information is stated without considering the audience's perspective or potential questions, it can lead to misunderstandings.
What role does feedback play in explaining?
Feedback is crucial in explaining, as it helps ensure the explanation is understood and allows for adjustments to improve clarity.
In what context would stating be more appropriate than explaining?
In formal documents, legal settings, or when simply presenting information without the need for in-depth understanding.
How does the audience affect whether to state or explain?
The audience's background knowledge and their need for understanding determine whether stating or explaining is more appropriate.
How do stating and explaining differ in educational settings?
In educational settings, stating is used to present information, while explaining is used to ensure students understand and can apply the information.
How do cultural differences affect stating and explaining?
Cultural differences can affect the interpretation of statements and explanations, emphasizing the need for cultural sensitivity and clarity.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
