Skip to main content
construal

construal

9.6
A way of understanding the meaning of something
  • noun
  • /kənˈstruːəl/
translation icon : interpretación
  • Normativity derives its dominant conceptual force from a qualitative construal of difference, while normality is based on difference understood in quantitative terms.
  • self-construal

Examples

  • Whether or not this is Lilla's view, I seriously doubt that it is a defensible construal of the thinking of Berlin and Shklar.

    Academic text (1999)
  • What is often not realized is that the construal is an interpretation, and that it is possible to interpret the same event in different ways.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The main difference between Purgatory and the Sisyphus blends is in the construal of the search process itself.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The Catholic construal of reality, however, could never define "being," "presence," or "body" as wholly autonomous substances or objectified representations.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Rather, this construal of the elements constituting the church and regulating an approach to understanding suggests the three theses that follow.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The question of validity, so far as the specification was concerned, depended on whether one took the plaintiffs' or the defendants' construal of it.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Because of her communal, historicist construal of theology, Fulkerson's work may be compared to George Lindbeck's cultural linguistic paradigm.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The correct construal of these antitheses is indispensable to a discernment of the structural patterns through which Augustine communicates his theological vision.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Her construal of the story was different from mine, highlighting how two people can interpret the same event in varied ways.

  • The children's construal of the game rules led to several misunderstandings, demonstrating the importance of clear communication.

Synonyms

perception
vsconstrual
400 4.2

A way of understanding or judging something

is an explanation or act that aims at meaning rather than a personal viewpoint
interpretation
vsconstrual
314 4.4

An explanation of what something means

includes both the explanation and the act of forming that meaning
construction
vsconstrual
18 4.8

A way of explaining the meaning of words or texts

is a general explanation rather than a method of building meaning
interpreting
vsconstrual
1 4.1

Giving the meaning of something that is not clear

is broader, covering general explanation or the act of making meaning

How Specific

analysis
3.4
construal
9.6
interpretation
314 4.4
reading
192 4.2
impression
777 3.1

Surface Forms

construal singular
construals plural

Morphology

construal = construe (transparent) = construe + al

Formed by the verb 'construe' + productive noun-forming suffix '-al'; the meaning 'an interpretation' follows directly from the base.

Etymology

Construal comes from the verb construe, from the Latin parts con- and struere meaning 'together' and 'to build'. It shares the same root as construct and structure, so a construal is like the way you 'build' or explain the meaning of something.