exegesis

American  

[ek-si-jee-sis] / ˌɛk sɪˈdʒi sɪs /

noun

plural

exegeses

1. critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible.

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exegesis British  

/ ˌɛksɪˈdʒiːsɪs /

noun

1. explanation or critical interpretation of a text, esp of the Bible Compare eisegesis

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Etymology

Origin of exegesis

1610–20; < Greek exḗgēsis an interpretation, explanation, equivalent to ex- ex- ³ + ( h ) ēgē- (verbid stem of hēgeîsthai to guide) + -sis -sis

Compare meaning

How does exegesis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• exegesis vs. eisegesis
• hermeneutics vs. exegesis

Example Sentences

Beckett’s works defy easy exegesis, but as in many of his other plays, “Endgame” presents us with stylized images of the aimless burdens of existence, the isolation that can be little eased by companionship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

First came Joel Thompson’s “To See the Sky,” obscurely subtitled “an exegesis for orchestra.”

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2024

Because he decided he wasn’t obligated to, based on his own personal exegesis of whatever rules he chose to consider that one day.

From Slate • May 3, 2023

Although also woefully out of print, Mayo’s 1933 exegesis is, along with James M. Cain’s essay “Paradise” and Louis Adamic’s “Laughing in the Jungle,” among the great early studies of the city.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2023

This is all quite fascinating, but over the next six pages the paragraphs jump around between descriptions of the Cossacks’ way of war and still more exegesis of Clausewitz.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker