deconstruct

English

Etymology

de- +‎ construct

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /diːkənˈstɹʌkt/, /diːkənˈstɹʊkt/

Verb

deconstruct (third-person singular simple present deconstructs, present participle deconstructing, simple past and past participle deconstructed)

1. (transitive, often figurative) To break something down into its component parts.
2. (transitive) To analyse in terms of deconstruction (a philosophical theory of textual criticism).
3. (transitive) To analyse in general.
4. (transitive) To critique.
5. (transitive, especially US sports) To destroy.
   • 2014, Ian Levy, 2014 Jun 16, The Spurs’ Deconstruction of the Heat Is Now Complete

Usage notes

Narrowly used as a specific kind of literary analysis and criticism; broadly used as a fancy term to mean analysis, criticism, destruction, etc.

Derived terms

• deconstructability
• deconstructable
• deconstructive
• deconstructively
• deconstructivism

 

Related terms

• deconstruction

Translations

break down

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 解構／解构 (zh) (jiěgòu)

• Finnish: purkaa (fi)
• French: déconstruire (fr)
• German: dekonstruieren, abbauen (de)
• Italian: decostruire
• Japanese: 脱構築する (だつこうちくする, datsukōchiku suru)
• Maori: tukituki
• Portuguese: desconstruir (pt)
• Romanian: dezasambla (ro)
• Russian: разбира́ть (ru) impf (razbirátʹ), разобра́ть (ru) pf (razobrátʹ), деконструи́ровать (ru) impf or pf (dekonstruírovatʹ)

Anagrams

• constructed