conception

noun con·cep·tion \ kən-ˈsep-shən \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of conception

1 a (1) : the process of becoming pregnant involving fertilization or implantation or both

(2) : embryo, fetus

b : beginning

"Joy had the like conception in our eyes … "
—William Shakespeare

2 a : the capacity, function, or process of forming or understanding ideas or abstractions or their symbols

He directed the project from conception to completion.

b : a general idea : concept

We get the conception of an animal … by comparing different animals …
—John Stuart Mill

c : a complex product of abstract or reflective thinking

the philosopher's conception of reality

d : the sum of a person's ideas and beliefs concerning something

his conception of the American dream

3 : the originating of something in the mind

an artist's conception of how the city would look a hundred years from now

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conceptional

play \kən-ˈsep-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

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conceptive

play \kən-ˈsep-tiv\ adjective

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Examples of conception in a Sentence

He directed the project from conception to production.
the conception of a new device
They have a clear conception of how the process works.
a child's conception of responsibility
They have very different conceptions of the proper role of government.

Recent Examples of conception from the Web

But investigators say engineers were never directly involved in Verrückt’s conception or design and that Henry, Schooley and their team completed a prototype within 36 days.

— cleve r. wootson jr., BostonGlobe.com, "Federal agents arrest designer of Kansas water slide that killed boy," 4 Apr. 2018
Hybrid war, in the popular conception, encompasses all sorts of irregular conflict, from little green men to cyberdisruption to information operations.

— tod lindberg, WSJ, "A U.S. Battlefield Victory Against Russia’s ‘Little Green Men’," 3 Apr. 2018
Those two different conceptions of the problem lead to very different kinds of solutions.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "How to Pay College Athletes Without Ruining NCAA Sports," 31 Mar. 2018
Our intellect can be deceived, our feelings manipulated, and conceptions confused.

— annie tritt, Vox, "I photograph trans and nonbinary kids. It’s made me rethink my own gender.," 28 Mar. 2018
They’re no longer consumers in the 20th century conception of the word: people who are catered to by companies selling products and services.

— laurent belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, "Facebook under fire, but it’s just part of ‘surveillance economy’," 28 Mar. 2018
It’s caused by a genetic defect that usually happens around the time of conception–and not by anything that either parent has control over.

— amanda macmillan, Health.com, "What Is Prader-Willi Syndrome? This 380-Pound Pageant Queen Has a Condition That Makes Her Hungry All the Time," 27 Mar. 2018
Ohlsson’s conception and execution of the A Major Piano Sonata was revelatory.

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Inon Barnatan and Garrick Ohlsson deliver masterful performances of late Schubert music," 25 Mar. 2018
Advertisement With the inclusion of a nefarious company like IGH, Jessica Jones challenges the conventional conception of superpowers as a positive thing.

— refinery29.com, "How Did Jessica Jones Get Her Super Powers?," 9 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conception.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of conception

Middle English concepcioun, from Anglo-French concepcion, from Latin conception-, conceptio, from concipere — see ¹concept

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

conception Synonyms

Synonyms

abstraction, cogitation, concept, idea, image, impression, intellection, mind's eye, notion, picture, thought;

Near Antonyms

actuality, fact, reality;

preconception, prejudice, prepossession;

delusion, hallucination, illusion, phantasm (also fantasm);

caprice, conceit, fancy, vagary, whim;

cognition, observation, perception, reflection;

assumption, belief, conclusion, conviction;

conjecture, guess, hunch, hypothesis, speculation, supposition, surmise, theory;

brainchild, brainstorm, brain wave, inspiration;

Synonym Discussion of conception

idea, concept, conception, thought, notion, impression mean what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan). idea may apply to a mental image or formulation of something seen or known or imagined, to a pure abstraction, or to something assumed or vaguely sensed.