recontextualize

verb re·con·tex·tu·al·ize \ ˌrē-kən-ˈteks-chə-wə-ˌlīz , -chə-ˌlīz \

Definition of recontextualize

recontextualized; recontextualizing; recontextualizes

: to place (something, such as a literary or artistic work) in a different context

Recent Examples of recontextualize from the Web

To call Jackson’s professed attack an act of terrorism is also to recontextualize the age of lynching as an earlier age of terrorism, forgotten by most, but whose scars still linger in the memory of black America.

— jamelle bouie, Slate Magazine, "Timothy Caughman’s Murder Was a Lynching," 24 Mar. 2017
Improvisations arrive in judicious bite-size pieces, enhancing arrangements that deftly recontextualize themes within musical landscapes that shift from soul-jazz to samba.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Kamasi Washington scales down for his new release without letting go of his ambition," 2 Nov. 2017
In towns and cities like Charlottesville, residents are working to either recontextualize these figures—explaining the history behind these monuments of men like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson—or remove them outright.

— jamelle bouie, Slate Magazine, "A Trumpian gubernatorial candidate is campaigning on Confederate nostalgia.," 3 Apr. 2017
Millard's art looks to recontextualize everyday objects into powerful symbols—other art on his Facebook page, called Voices Through Art, show nails turned into military crosses.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "This "Crashed Space Capsule" Sitting by the Highway Is a Delightful Prank," 8 Feb. 2017

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