structuralism

1 of 3

noun (1)

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

structuralist

2 of 3

noun (2)

struc·​tur·​al·​ist ˈstrəkchərələ̇st 

-ksh(ə)r-

plural -s

1

: an adherent or follower of structuralism

2

: one stressing the more formal, organizational aspects of social life (as embodied in kinship regulations, marriage forms, clan and moiety systems)

structuralist

3 of 3

adjective

"

variants or less commonly structuralistic

¦⸗(⸗)⸗¦listik

: of or relating to structuralism

Examples of structuralism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Back then, much of literary studies was about structuralism, poststructuralism, and deconstructionism. — Karl Ove Knausgaard, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025

To the contrary, there has been a ceaseless multiplication of rival and largely incompatible sciences of human behavior: stimulus response, sociobiology, rational choice theory, various structuralisms, many attempts at socioneuroscience, and so on. — Jason Blakely, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023

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

Noun (1)

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1907, in the meaning defined above

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