structuralism

[ struhk-cher-uh-liz-uhm ]

/ ˈstrʌk tʃər əˌlɪz əm /

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noun

any theory that embodies structural principles.

structural anthropology.

structural linguistics.

structural psychology.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of structuralism

First recorded in 1945–50; structural + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM structuralism

struc·tur·al·ist, noun, adjectivestruc·tur·al·is·tic, adjectivean·ti·struc·tur·al·ist, noun, adjective

Words nearby structuralism

structural formula, structural functionalism, structural gene, structural geology, structural iron, structuralism, structural isomer, structuralize, structural linguistics, structural psychology, structural racism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use structuralism in a sentence

According to François Dosse, the author of a monumental History of Structuralism, 1966 marked the high tide of this new paradigm.
Derrida’s ‘Of Grammatology’ and the Birth of Deconstruction|Benoît Peeters|December 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for structuralism

structuralism

/ (ˈstrʌktʃərəˌlɪzəm) /

noun

an approach to anthropology and other social sciences and to literature that interprets and analyses its material in terms of oppositions, contrasts, and hierarchical structures, esp as they might reflect universal mental characteristics or organizing principlesCompare functionalism

an approach to linguistics that analyses and describes the structure of language, as distinguished from its comparative and historical aspects

Derived forms of structuralism

structuralist, noun, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012