structuralism

noun

struc·​tur·​al·​ism ˈstrək-chə-rə-ˌli-zəm 

ˈstrək-shrə-

1

: psychology concerned especially with resolution of the mind into structural elements

2

: structural linguistics

3

: an anthropological movement associated especially with Claude Lévi-Strauss that seeks to analyze social relationships in terms of highly abstract relational structures often expressed in a logical symbolism

4

: a method of analysis (as of a literary text or a political system) that is related to cultural anthropology and that focuses on recurring patterns of thought and behavior

structuralist

ˈstrək-chə-rə-list 

ˈstrək-shrə-

noun or adjective

Examples of structuralism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Intellectually and temperamentally, the Frenchmen were a diverse group, forever being lumped together and divided up under various shifting labels—Marxism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, poststructuralism, postmodernism. — Emily Eakin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Critics of structuralism demonstrated that this approach did not discern between competitive and anticompetitive outcomes. — Timothy J. Muris, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2023

The interpretive tendency then became supercharged with the introduction of powerful new philosophical traditions from continental Europe (structuralism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, deconstruction, and so on). — Evan Kindley, The New York Review of Books, 16 Feb. 2023

The dynamic works, which comprise Herman Miller’s most iconic ads, catalogs and ephemera from 1949 to 1979, feature a range of conceptual styles, from structuralism to modernism, along with a diverse palette. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2021

The Democratic and Republican bases have arrived at structuralism from different directions. — Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 29 June 2021

This mode of structuralism was eventually done in by its all- embracing scope. — Roger Lewin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

The bodice of the dress, however, was where structuralism came into play. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing structuralism

• post-structuralism

Medical Definition

structuralism

noun

struc·​tur·​al·​ism ˈstrək-chə-rə-ˌliz-əm, ˈstrək-shrə- 

: psychology concerned especially with resolution of the mind into structural elements