deconstruction

[ dee-kuhn-struhk-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or practice of breaking something down into constituent parts:

   The deconstruction of complex problems into smaller issues can make them easier to tackle.

2. 1. a philosophical and critical movement that questions all traditional assumptions about the ability of language to represent reality and emphasizes that a text has no stable reference or meaning.
   2. a critical movement that questions forms, hierarchies, and assumptions that are thought to be fixed because of the language traditionally used to describe those forms, hierarchies, and assumptions.

deconstruction

/ ˌdiːkənˈstrʌkʃən /

noun

1. a technique of literary analysis that regards meaning as resulting from the differences between words rather than their reference to the things they stand for. Different meanings are discovered by taking apart the structure of the language used and exposing the assumption that words have a fixed reference point beyond themselves

Derived Forms

• ˌdeconˈstructionist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• de·con·struc·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deconstruction¹

de- + construction

Example Sentences

But it was part of the slow burn of my rebellion, of a deconstruction of the woman I’d been conditioned to be.

From Salon

In his speech on the crisis of men, Josh Hawley warned of a plot to “deconstruct America,” a “leftist project” that “depends on the deconstruction of American men.”

From Salon

Over an intense two days, he led the 23 students playing the eight characters in a reading and deconstruction of “Slave Play.”

From Los Angeles Times

Again, I do find the deconstruction of class interesting.

From Los Angeles Times

With deconstruction set to begin, “our team is working against the clock to document and move these building components to safety so that they can be put back together again.”

From Los Angeles Times