deconstruction
nounUK /ˌdiːkənˈstrʌkʃən/
US /ˌdiːkənˈstrʌkʃən/
Deconstruction is taking something apart to see how it works.
The teacher used deconstruction to show how the story was built from small parts.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A way of studying books and ideas that looks for hidden meanings and contradictions.
Her essay used deconstruction to question what the novel really says about love.
3. The act of breaking something down into its separate pieces.
The deconstruction of the old bridge took several weeks.
4. In philosophy, a method linked to Jacques Derrida that challenges simple, fixed meanings.
The lecture introduced deconstruction as a tool for reading texts differently.