gestalt

noun

ge·​stalt gə-ˈstält How to pronounce gestalt (audio)
-ˈshtält,
-ˈstȯlt,
-ˈshtȯlt How to pronounce gestalt (audio)
plural gestalts also gestalten gə-ˈstäl-tᵊn How to pronounce gestalt (audio)
-ˈshtäl-,
-ˈstȯl-,
-ˈshtȯl-
: something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or different from the combination of its parts
When he gets rolling, you're not responding to single jokes—it's the whole gestalt of the movie that's funny.Pauline Kael
broadly : the general quality or character of something
When new employees are recruited fresh out of college and can look forward to working for the same company for 40 years, it changes the gestalt of management. Brenton R. Schlender
… the Old Hollywood gestalt, where daughters adored and romanticized their charismatic, powerful, often unavailable fathers. Nora Johnson

Examples of gestalt in a Sentence

the gestalt of human consciousness
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In other words, the linear process of writing got a dimensional upgrade, from 2D to 3D. Google Docs enabled similar gestalt shifts. Sheon Han, WIRED, 9 May 2023 The sausage and garlicky spinach too were nicely complementary and spiced, nestled within sauce and the cheese mixture in a uniquely delicious gestalt. Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2024 From many, back to one The trio form a kind of gestalt that can only function as a whole: Baruchowitz with his expertise in reverse logistics, Jogikalmath with his prowess in materials science and Calvert with his commercial experience and eye for design. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019 To convey her heroine’s sophisticated gestalt, Meyers sends her to the Barefoot Contessa. Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gestalt 

Word History

Etymology

German, literally, shape, form

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gestalt was in 1922

Dictionary Entries Near gestalt

Cite this Entry

“Gestalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gestalt. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

gestalt

noun
plural gestalten -ᵊn How to pronounce gestalt (audio) or gestalts
: a structure, arrangement, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts

More from Merriam-Webster on gestalt

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