deconstructionism

[ dee-kuhn-struhk-shuh-niz-uhm ]

noun

1. the theory or principles of 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. the theory or principles of 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.

Other Words From

• de·con·struc·tion·ist adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deconstructionism¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

He says he had earned a doctorate from UCLA in philosophical aesthetics, specializing in deconstructionism and post-expressionism.

From The Daily Beast