Main Entry:

de·con·struc·tion

Pronunciation:

\ˌdē-kən-ˈstrək-shən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French déconstruction, from dé- de- + construction

Date:

1973

1: a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers ; also : an instance of the use of this method <a deconstruction of the nature–culture opposition in Rousseau's work>2: the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy