gestalt

American  

[guh-shtahlt, -shtawlt, -stahlt, -stawlt] / gəˈʃtɑlt, -ˈʃtɔlt, -ˈstɑlt, -ˈstɔlt /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

plural

gestalts, gestalten

1. a configuration, pattern, or organized field having specific properties that cannot be derived from the summation of its component parts; a unified whole.

2. an instance or example of such a unified whole.

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Gestalt British  

/ ɡəˈʃtælt /

noun

1. (sometimes not capital) a perceptual pattern or structure possessing qualities as a whole that cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts See also Gestalt psychology

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Etymology

Origin of gestalt

1920–25; < German: figure, form, structure

Explanation

A gestalt has two or more parts (like figure and ground) that are so integrated together that we perceive them as one object. Think of teaching "the whole child," and you have the idea behind gestalt. The perception of oneness from many is the basis of gestalt. It derived from the 1890 German philosophy of Gestaltqualität, meaning "form or shape," which explored the idea of perception. For example, a picture might have several separate parts that work together to form one perceived image. The area of gestalt psychology developed in 1912, focusing on the various aspects of a person and how they combine into a whole that affects that person's relationship with his or her environment.

Example Sentences

Sentiment is consistent with the Muppets gestalt, but not really part of “The Muppet Show.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

The two- or three-word tags, meant to convey the gestalt of a show or movie, regularly help viewers choose a show from the service’s nearly endless library, the company says.

From New York Times • Jan. 14, 2024

The guides, it said, reflect “the whole gestalt of India’s association with sky and space.”

From Science Magazine • Nov. 7, 2023

"Almost no individual element of this was original—beans and greens have been the stuff of dinner since beans and greens began—and yet the gestalt had something to it, something unexpectedly right."

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2023

Hanson also preceded Kuhn in stressing the importance of gestalt psychology and in laying emphasis on the philosophy of Wittgenstein.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• composition
• contour
• shape
• structure