prägnanz

noun

In Gestalt psychology, the tendency for one to perceive complex things in the "best" (simplest) form, because it requires the least cognitive effort.

OriginGerman Prägnanz →
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Meanings

nounprägnanz (uncountable)

alternative Prägnanz

  1. uncountablehuman sciencesIn Gestalt psychology, the tendency for one to perceive complex things in the "best" (simplest) form, because it requires the least cognitive effort.

Origin

  1. GermanPrägnanz
  2. Englishprägnanz

From German Prägnanz ("precision")

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

prägnanz. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pr%C3%A4gnanz

MLA

“prägnanz.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pr%C3%A4gnanz. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prägnanz,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pr%C3%A4gnanz.

Source: prägnanz on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.