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

Like structuralism, dependency theory viewed the economies of wealthy and poorer countries as closely connected through international trade, with the advantages often flowing disproportionately to the wealthier countries. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2026

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

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