ostensive definition

noun

Philosophy.

1. the definition of a term by pointing to one or more examples to which the term can be applied.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ostensive definition¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Though what he will run up against is the difficulty of what in philosophy is termed ostensive definition: he can point from the Olympic "alchemy" that conjured up "a determined pride in what our country now is" towards a wider and more complex future world.

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