take out of context

verb

To report (something) without taking into account the context in which it occurred.

“The statistics are not very meaningful when taken out of context.”

Similar
decontextualize
Opposite
contextualize
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbtake out of context (third-person singular simple present takes out of context, present participle taking out of context, simple past took out of context, past participle taken out of context)

present singular third person takes out of context · participle present taking out of context · past took out of context · participle past taken out of context

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo report (something) without taking into account the context in which it occurred.

    The statistics are not very meaningful when taken out of context.

    Synonyms: decontextualize · Antonyms: contextualize

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo report (something) without taking into account the context in which it occurred.

Similar
decontextualize
Opposite
contextualize
Also see
decontextualize

Translations

Arabic اجتزأ من السياق
  • اجتزأ من السياقto report out of context
Chinese Mandarin 斷章取義 /断章取义
  • 斷章取義 /断章取义 (duànzhāngqǔyì)to report out of context
Finnish irrottaa asiayhteydestä
  • irrottaa asiayhteydestäto report out of context
French décontextualiser
  • décontextualiserto report out of context
German aus dem Kontext reißen, aus dem Zusammenhang reißen
  • aus dem Kontext reißento report out of context
  • aus dem Zusammenhang reißento report out of context
  • aus dem Zusammenhang nehmento report out of context
  • dekontextualisierento report out of context
Hungarian szövegösszefüggésből kiragad
  • szövegösszefüggésből kiragadto report out of context
Portuguese tirar de contexto, descontextualizar
  • tirar de contextoto report out of context
  • descontextualizarto report out of context
Russian вырыва́ть из конте́кста, вы́рвать из конте́кста
  • вырыва́ть из конте́кста (vyryvátʹ iz kontéksta)to report out of context
  • вы́рвать из конте́кста (výrvatʹ iz kontéksta)to report out of context
Spanish sacar de contexto, descontextualizar
  • sacar de contextoto report out of context
  • descontextualizarto report out of context
Cite this entry
APA

take out of context. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20out%20of%20context

MLA

“take out of context.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20out%20of%20context. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “take out of context,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20out%20of%20context.

Source: take out of context on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.