noun
Meaning 1
The wave of a hand.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: literally
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
handwave
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
Meaning 2
A glib statement or explanation that glosses over important details.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To explain something superficially, skipping over important details, perhaps appealing to intuition instead.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: rhetoric
Topics: academia, scholarly, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From hand + wave.
Across languages
Translations
3 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Polish: wyjaśniać powierzchownie — explain something superficially
- Polish: wyjaśnić powierzchownie — explain something superficially
- Russian: отмахнуться (otmaxnutʹsja) — explain something superficially