contextualize

American  

[kuhn-teks-choo-uh-lahyz] / kənˈtɛks tʃu əˌlaɪz /

especially British, contextualise

verb (used with object)

contextualized, contextualizing

1. to put (a linguistic element, an action, etc.) in a context, especially one that is characteristic or appropriate, as for purposes of study.

---

contextualize British  

/ kənˈtɛkstjʊəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to state the social, grammatical, or other context of; put into context

---

Other Word Forms

• contextualization noun
• noncontextualized adjective

Etymology

Origin of contextualize

First recorded in 1930–35; contextual + -ize

Example Sentences

The MFA assembled 14 of these, contextualized by self-portraits, Japanese prints, works by artists Van Gogh admired, and paintings by Paul Gauguin, who joined his friend in the south toward the end of 1888.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wide shots make the characters feel “small in frame” and “isolated,” while low angles contextualize Hale’s presence and power from Ernest’s perspective.

From Los Angeles Times

The museum’s solution was to contextualize artifacts like the displayed Nazi uniform, which was once worn by a ranking leader in the Sicherheitsdienst, or security service.

From New York Times

"This helped contextualize the visual results and overcome some of the limitations from the land-based visual observations of movement."

From Science Daily

The narrative elements of “The Chevalier,” interspersed with musical excerpts, illuminate and contextualize Boulogne’s music in a way that a listener’s chance encounter, on a playlist or in a live concert, might not.

From New York Times