contextualization
Americannoun
-
contextualizations
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Explanation
Contextualization is the process of considering the specific situation in which something exists (or existed) as you try to understand it. Contextualization of French culture in the late 1800s would include Impressionism and the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Contextualization comes from context and its Latin root contextus, "a joining or weaving together." This process involves putting events within a wider context — in other words, weaving together all the factors that affected a person's actions or a historical occurrence. Understanding why your little sister had a tantrum at her birthday party requires contextualization: she missed her nap and was already cranky, and another kid beat her at pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although the exhibition situates a timeline of the Mughals within global historical reference points—e.g., their artistic golden age began decades before Jamestown was even founded in Virginia—it could have benefited from greater contextualization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The story is important on its own, but it did need some level of contextualization for the audience.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
The meaningful update includes a more poignant and broader contextualization of the tar pits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
A right to erase himself, to be nobody, to get lost, to refuse contextualization as an historical artifact whose actions, emotions, and experiences belonged to some public body for study, meaning, and influence.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2022
The film’s true feat lies in Thompson’s restoration and contextualization.
From New York Times ● Oct. 12, 2021
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
