deconstruct

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British, UK, Southern, Standard/ˌdiːkənˈstɹʌkt/Northern England/ˌdiːkənˈstɹʊkt/Canada, US/ˌdikənˈstɹʌkt/

verb

To break something down into its component parts.

Opposite
constructreconstruct
OriginEnglish construct ← Latin cōnstrūctus ← Proto-Italic *strowō →
UncommonScrabble 16
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Meanings

verbdeconstruct (third-person singular simple present deconstructs, present participle deconstructing, simple past and past participle deconstructed)

present singular third person deconstructs · participle present deconstructing · participle past deconstructed · past deconstructed

  1. figurativelyoftentransitiveTo break something down into its component parts.

    Antonyms: construct, reconstruct

  2. transitiveTo analyse in terms of deconstruction (a philosophical theory of textual criticism).
  3. transitiveTo analyse in general.
  4. intransitiveTo question and reexamine the beliefs taught in one's religious upbringing.
  5. transitiveTo critique.
  6. transitivecookingTo prepare (a dish) in an experimental way that presents the core ingredients separately.
  7. USespeciallytransitivehobbiesTo destroy.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo break something down into its component parts.

Opposite
constructreconstruct

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindē
  5. Latindē-
  6. Englishde-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  9. Proto-Italic*kom
  10. Proto-Italic*kom-
  11. Latincon-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*ster-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*sterh₃-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*strew-
  15. Proto-Indo-European*stréweti
  16. Proto-Italic*strowō
  17. Latinstruō
  18. Latincōnstruō
  19. Latincōnstrūctus
  20. Englishconstruct
  21. Englishdeconstruct

From de- + construct.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 解構 /解构
  • 解構 /解构 (jiěgòu)break down
Finnish purkaa
  • purkaabreak down
French déconstruire
  • déconstruirebreak down
German dekonstruieren, abbauen
  • dekonstruierenbreak down
  • abbauenbreak down
Italian decostruire
  • decostruirebreak down
Japanese 脱構築する
  • 脱構築する (datsukōchiku suru)break down
Māori tukituki
  • tukitukibreak down
Portuguese desconstruir
  • desconstruirbreak down
Romanian dezasambla
  • dezasamblabreak down
Russian разбира́ть, разобра́ть
  • разбира́ть (razbirátʹ)break down
  • разобра́ть (razobrátʹ)break down
  • деконструи́ровать (dekonstruírovatʹ)break down

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

constructed
Cite this entry
APA

deconstruct. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deconstruct

MLA

“deconstruct.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deconstruct. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deconstruct,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deconstruct.

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