interpretation

American  

[in-tur-pri-tey-shuhn] / ɪnˌtɜr prɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

interpretations plural

1. the act of interpreting; elucidation; explication.

   This writer's work demands interpretation.

2. an explanation of the meaning of another's artistic or creative work; an elucidation.

   an interpretation of a poem.

3. a conception of another's behavior.

   a charitable interpretation of his tactlessness.

4. a way of interpreting.

5. the rendering of a dramatic part, music, etc., so as to bring out the meaning, or to indicate one's particular conception of it.

6. oral translation.

---

interpretation British  

/ ɪnˌtɜːprɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of interpreting or explaining; elucidation

2. the result of interpreting; an explanation

3. a particular view of an artistic work, esp as expressed by stylistic individuality in its performance

4. explanation, as of the environment, a historical site, etc, provided by the use of original objects, personal experience, visual display material, etc

5. logic an allocation of significance to the terms of a purely formal system, by specifying ranges for the variables, denotations for the individual constants, etc; a function from the formal language to such elements of a possible world

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overinterpretation
  noun
• preinterpretation
  noun
• reinterpretation
  noun
• self-interpretation
  noun
• interpretational
  adjective
• noninterpretational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• interpretations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of interpretation

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin interpretātiōn-, stem of interpretātiō; equivalent to interpret ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

When your favorite band covers a classic tune, their version is their interpretation — their translation — of the music. Is it better than the original? That's up for interpretation. Interpretation is the act of explaining, reframing, or otherwise showing your own understanding of something. A person who translates one language into another is called an interpreter because they are explaining what a person is saying to someone who doesn't understand. Interpretation requires you to first understand the piece of music, text, language, or idea, and then give your explanation of it. A computer may produce masses of data, but it will require your interpretation of the data for people to understand it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interpretation interpretations

She went all-out, enthusiastically applying a maximalist interpretation of Supreme Court precedents.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

They want interpretation and reassurance during tumultuous times.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

The effect is disorienting at first, as perception precedes interpretation and sensation outruns speech.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Calculations involving proton vibrational wavefunction overlap integrals supported this interpretation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Today, art historians like to say that Les Demoiselles empowers viewers, which is what they say about the Mona Lisa too—they mean that both paintings are open to interpretation.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Earlier interpretations suggested that most of the victims were female, but the genetic evidence shows that nine out of ten burials examined there were male.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

“The President and the Attorney General, subject to the president’s supervision and control, shall provide authoritative interpretations of law for the executive branch.”

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

Across the country, those parallel interpretations are also reflected in the structure of the celebrations themselves.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

When it comes to interpretations of the law, the Supreme Court's rulings are final – a point that was vividly illustrated for Trump, both to his joy and disappointment, on Monday.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Up until now, I’ve largely assumed that all of my interpretations of Hideo’s words have been exaggerated on my part, but it’s pretty hard to misunderstand this statement.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• analysis
• clarification
• explanation
• judgment
• meaning
• perception
• reading
• translation