- to analyze (a text) by using deconstruction
- to subject to rigorous analysis, as to reveal weakness or error
- to take apart; disassemble
Origin of deconstruct
back-formation from deconstructiondeconstruct
de·con·structWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"deconstruct." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Deconstruct>.
APA Style
deconstruct. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Deconstruct
deconstruct
transitive verb
de·con·struct·ed, de·con·struct·ing, de·con·structs- To break down into components; dismantle: a toxic substance that can be deconstructed into harmless chemicals.
- To analyze (a literary text, for example) by deconstruction or in such a way as to expose its underlying assumptions or implicit ideological stance.
- To adapt (a genre, style, or form) in a way that isolates familiar elements from their usual context in order to imply an ironic comment on the unspoken values of the original.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"deconstruct." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Deconstruct>.
APA Style
deconstruct. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Deconstruct
Verb
(third-person singular simple present deconstructs, present participle deconstructing, simple past and past participle deconstructed)
- (often metaphorical) To break something down into its component parts.
- To analyse in terms of deconstruction (a philosophical theory of textual criticism).
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"deconstruct." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Deconstruct>.
APA Style
deconstruct. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Deconstruct
