hermeneutic

her·me·neu·tic | \ ˌhər-mə-ˈnü-tik

How to pronounce hermeneutic (audio)

, -ˈnyü- \

Definition of hermeneutic

1 hermeneutics plural in form but singular or plural in construction : the study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible)

2 : a method or principle of interpretation a philosophical hermeneutic

Examples of hermeneutic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Far from autofiction, their novels are as varied as their poems, with suspenseful plots and untrustworthy characters and an understanding that drama arises from bad hermeneutics—that is, misreading people. — Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, "‘A Walk Through Someone Else’," 10 Mar. 2020 For Brookhiser, part of what killed the old order was modernism—meaning characters like Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche, the instigators of what the French philosopher Paul Ricœur called the hermeneutics of suspicion. — Doug Henwood, Harper's magazine, "To Serve Is to Rule," 28 Oct. 2019 Some certainly are rooted in history, but figuring that out is the work of hermeneutics. — Emily Mcfarlan Miller, Washington Post, "Ever-evolving influence of a ‘Bible nerd’-turned author," 22 June 2018

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

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Last Updated

20 Mar 2020

Cite this Entry

“Hermeneutic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hermeneutic. Accessed 6 Apr. 2020.

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