composition

[ kom-puh-zish-uhn ]

/ ˌkɒm pəˈzɪʃ ən /

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See synonyms for: composition / compositions on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole.

the resulting state or product.

manner of being composed; structure: This painting has an orderly composition.

makeup; constitution: His moral composition was impeccable.

an aggregate material formed from two or more substances: a composition of silver and tin.

a short essay written as a school exercise.

the act or process of producing a literary work.

an academic course for teaching the techniques of clear, expository writing.

the art of putting words and sentences together in accordance with the rules of grammar and rhetoric.

a piece of music.

the art of composing music.

Fine Arts. the organization or grouping of the different parts of a work of art so as to achieve a unified whole.

Grammar. the formation of compounds or derivatives: the composition of “aircraft” from “air” and “craft.”

a settlement by mutual agreement.

an agreement or compromise, especially one by which a creditor or group of creditors accepts partial payment from a debtor.

a sum of money so paid.

Printing.

the setting up of type for printing.
Also called pagination. the makeup of pages for printing.

Mathematics. the process of making a composite function of two given functions.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of composition

1350–1400; Middle English composicioun<Anglo-French <Latin compositiōn- (stem of compositiō), equivalent to composit(us) (see composite) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM composition

com·po·si·tion·al, adjectivecom·po·si·tion·al·ly, adverbcom·pos·i·tive

[kuhm-poz-i-tiv], /kəmˈpɒz ɪ tɪv/, adjectivecom·pos·i·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use composition in a sentence

One is designed to represent the average composition across Mars, similar to the synthetic material created by Cannon’s team.
Farming on Mars will be a lot harder than ‘The Martian’ made it seem|Maria Temming|November 18, 2020|Science News
It’s just looking for patterns by itself and what it thinks are the repeating features of language composition.
Podcast: Can you teach a machine common sense?|Anthony Green|November 11, 2020|MIT Technology Review
This reflects the spread of the virus, the stringency of public health measures taken to contain it, the sectoral composition of national economies, and the strength of national policy responses.
COVID-19 resurgence sets back Europe’s economic recovery hopes|David Meyer|November 5, 2020|Fortune
However, while we hope we know on Tuesday night which party will control the next Senate, we almost certainly won’t know its exact composition thanks to potential runoffs in Georgia and slow vote counts in states like Alaska.
Final Forecast: Democrats Have A 3-In-4 Chance Of Flipping The Senate|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 3, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

In a close race, Whitmer and the Democrats could be at odds with the Republican-controlled Michigan Supreme Court, which has two seats up for election that could flip the court’s composition.
Political Tremors: How to Survive Election Day Drama|Nick Fouriezos|November 1, 2020|Ozy
And suddenly the compositional weight of the work made perfect sense.
Robert Hughes: A Fierce Critic and Powerful Voice Now Silenced|Simon Schama|August 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It is not an easy problem to fit the compositional lines of a group into a circular frame.
Tuscan Sculpture of the Fifteenth Century|Estelle M. Hurll
This simple, compositional device emphasizes the effect of her pensive expression.
The Madonna in Art|Estelle M. Hurll
But his compositional bent turned him completely away from mere piano playing.
Edward MacDowell|Lawrence Gilman
These are the local, the architectural, the compositional commonplaces.
Italian Hours|Henry James
Reynolds's compositional schemes are of an academic elegance reminiscent of Raphael.
Sir Joshua Reynolds|Estelle M. Hurll

British Dictionary definitions for composition

composition

/ (ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən) /

noun

the act of putting together or making up by combining parts or ingredients

something formed in this manner or the resulting state or quality; a mixture

the parts of which something is composed or made up; constitution

a work of music, art, or literature

the harmonious arrangement of the parts of a work of art in relation to each other and to the whole

a piece of writing undertaken as an academic exercise in grammatically acceptable writing; an essay

printing the act or technique of setting up type

linguistics the formation of compound words

logic the fallacy of inferring that the properties of the part are also true of the whole, as every member of the team has won a prize, so the team will win a prize

a settlement by mutual consent, esp a legal agreement whereby the creditors agree to accept partial payment of a debt in full settlement
the sum so agreed

chem the nature and proportions of the elements comprising a chemical compound

Derived forms of composition

compositional, adjective

Word Origin for composition

C14: from Old French, from Latin compositus; see composite, -ion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

composition

Origin of composition

OTHER WORDS FROM composition

Words related to composition

How to use composition in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for composition

Derived forms of composition

Word Origin for composition