deconstruction

American  

[dee-kuhn-struhk-shuhn] / ˌdi kənˈstrʌk ʃən /

noun

1. the act or practice of breaking something down into constituent parts.

   The deconstruction of complex problems into smaller issues can make them easier to tackle.

2. 1. a philosophical and critical movement that questions all traditional assumptions about the ability of language to represent reality and emphasizes that a text has no stable reference or meaning.

   2. a critical movement that questions forms, hierarchies, and assumptions that are thought to be fixed because of the language traditionally used to describe those forms, hierarchies, and assumptions.

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deconstruction British  

/ ˌdiːkənˈstrʌkʃən /

noun

1. a technique of literary analysis that regards meaning as resulting from the differences between words rather than their reference to the things they stand for. Different meanings are discovered by taking apart the structure of the language used and exposing the assumption that words have a fixed reference point beyond themselves

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Other Word Forms

• deconstructionist noun
• deconstructive adjective

Etymology

Origin of deconstruction

de- + construction

Example Sentences

In a three-star review, the Irish Times's Donald Clarke noted that "the surprise for many will be how closely this supposed deconstruction sticks to the shape of Emily Brontë's original narrative".

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

Chair of the Silchester Estate Residents association, Nahid Ashby, acknowledges the "deconstruction" will be a painful process for many.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2025

I haven’t seen a production of “The Crucible” since Ivo van Hove’s deconstruction on Broadway in 2016, which is probably the last time I read the play.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2025

For us to see it, to witness his deconstruction in that way — that’s what the ending is, not so much about the prison.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

As our hypothetical modern visitors wandered through the hurly- burly of construction and deconstruction, they might have felt that despite the commotion something was missing.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann