deconstruction
noun
Did you know?
Deconstruction doesn't actually mean "demolition;" instead it means "breaking down" or analyzing something (especially the words in a work of fiction or nonfiction) to discover its true significance, which is supposedly almost never exactly what the author intended. A feminist may deconstruct an old novel to show how even an innocent-seeming story somehow depends on the oppression of women. A new western may deconstruct the myths of the old West and show lawmen as vicious and criminals as flawed but decent. Table manners, The Sound of Music, and cosmetics ads have all been the subjects of deconstructionist analysis. Of course, not everyone agrees with deconstructionist interpretations, and some people reject the whole idea of deconstruction, but most of us have run into it by now even if we didn't realize it.
Synonyms
Examples of deconstruction in a Sentence
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
With its fractured narrative, unreliable narrator and deconstruction of identity, his approach at times seemed ready for analysis in college courses on literary theory.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 1 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for deconstruction 
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Dictionary Entries Near deconstruction
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“Deconstruction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deconstruction. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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