interpretation

American  

[in-tur-pri-tay-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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• interpretations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of interpretation

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

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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

“ChatGPT gave me the baseline information. But it doesn’t give you the interpretation of law.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Playwright Kat Chandler’s interpretation leaves open the question of whether our impressions of its witch are unwarranted or dead right, further muddling our judgment with the introduction of Carrie-Anne Moss’ university professor, Katherine Hargrove.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

The modern-day interpretation of the holiday was pioneered by the Eastside nonprofit Self Help Graphics & Art, which hosted its first Día de los Muertos public celebration in 1972.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Even when the resulting interpretation is distorted, maintaining an established mental model may feel less uncertain than changing it.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

A moderate interpretation of the Duhem-Quine thesis leads to a mixed constructivism, in which evidence and culture each have a part to play in the construction of scientific beliefs.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Rather than rehashing traditional compositions, the group recognizes these sorely untapped sounds as living and malleable, creating new interpretations that bring them to our times without losing an ounce of their essence and verve.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

Seyfried, out of character, also ends up serving as a sounding board, sharing her own interpretations of Holmes and Evans’s behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Despite a request from litigants to overturn prior rulings in Kisor, a slim majority of the court ruled that judges were still required to defer to an agency’s interpretations of its regulations.

From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2026

While the circumstances are very different, Norris' supporters also argue that his case hinges on disputed interpretations of medical evidence.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 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

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Related Words

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

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