contextualization

American  

[kuhn-teks-choo-uh-lahy-zay-shuhn] / kənˌtɛks tʃu ə laɪˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

• contextualizations
  plural

1. the act or an instance of putting something in a particular context; explanation.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• decontextualization
  noun
• recontextualization
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contextualizations
  plural

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

See Examples For:

contextualization

Although the exhibition situates a timeline of the Mughals within global historical reference points—e.g., their artistic golden age began decades before Jamestown was even founded in Virginia—it could have benefited from greater contextualization.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

Below is Jay Willis’ contextualization of the voting rights case, Merrill v.

From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2023

The meaningful update includes a more poignant and broader contextualization of the tar pits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2023

In a triumph of contextualization, the special is followed by the 2018 restaging of the oratorio.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2021