composition

noun

com·​po·​si·​tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈzi-shən 

1

a

: the act or process of composing

specifically : arrangement into specific proportion or relation and especially into artistic form

the painting's unique composition

b(1)

: the arrangement of type for printing

hand composition

(2)

: the production of type or typographic characters (as in photocomposition) arranged for printing

2

a

: the manner in which something is composed

b

: general makeup

the changing ethnic composition of the city's population

c

: the qualitative and quantitative makeup of a chemical compound

the chemical composition of a polymer

3

: mutual settlement or agreement

The two parties came to a composition.

4

: a product of mixing or combining various elements or ingredients

a composition of rubber and cork

5

: an intellectual creation: such as

a

: a piece of writing

especially : a school exercise in the form of a brief essay

wrote a composition on the role of the police in our society

b

: a written piece of music especially of considerable size and complexity

Her composition for piano and flute was played at the recital.

6

: the quality or state of being compound

7

: the operation of forming a composite function

also : composite function

compositional

ˌkäm-pə-ˈzish-nəl 

-ˈzi-shə-nᵊl

adjective

compositionally adverb

Synonyms

• number
• opus
• piece
• work

Examples of composition in a Sentence

the changing composition of the country's population

the composition of a chemical compound

The teacher reminded us to hand in our compositions at the end of class.

Recent Examples on the Web

Climbing up some 80 feet, Ms. Murray uncovered vast diversity in soil composition – even in adjacent samples – revealing miniature ecosystems with abundant plant and invertebrate life that can support larger animals such as birds. —Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Sep. 2023

There’s the musical work—the lyrics and composition—and there’s the recording of that work. —WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023

An analysis of board composition in companies in the S&P 500 index found that 88% have no cybersecurity expert as a director. —James Rundle, WSJ, 25 Sep. 2023

Casey added that getting rid of legacy admissions won’t change the compositions of the nation’s most elite colleges overnight. —Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 25 Sep. 2023

So, while the format of your conditioner may make a difference — for instance, a moisturizing conditioner might contain more oils and emollients to soften and smooth the hair — the composition of your typical post-shampooing conditioner doesn't change a whole lot from formula to formula. —Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 25 Sep. 2023

The film’s accusatory fury is matched by Van Peebles’s distinctive style, which distills the action into precise and sharp-edged compositions of high graphic design. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2023

The Hairy Who, and Nutt’s work in particular, followed in impolite fashion, collapsing Old Master work and comic books, consumer advertisements and pin-up magazines, into luridly colored and rudely psychosexual compositions. —Max Lakin, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023

Another note: Always check the composition when shopping online. —Kristina Rutkowski, wsj.com, 13 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English composicioun, from Anglo-French composicion, from Latin composition-, compositio, from componere — see compose

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

composition

noun

com·​po·​si·​tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈzish-ən 

1

: the act or process of composing

2

: the manner in which the parts of a thing are put together : makeup

the composition of a painting

3

: the elements of a compound

the composition of rubber

4

: a product of combining ingredients : combination

a composition made of several different metals

5

: a literary, musical, or artistic production

especially : a short piece of writing done as a school exercise

Legal Definition

composition

noun

com·​po·​si·​tion

: an agreement between an insolvent debtor and several creditors whereby partial payment of the debts discharges in full the original obligations compare accord sense 3, compromise