reification
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌriːɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
- Formal
- At the heart of this paradox lies the tension between reification and Utopianism that Jameson discusses.
- reification process
- reification and commodification
- participation and reification
Examples
-
The theory of reification suggests that abstract concepts can be treated as tangible entities that shape our understanding of reality.
-
What we are seeing in westerns is a specific type of reification in which the land takes on a mystical, godlike character.
Academic text (2013) -
Social practice does not seem to demand such a legal reification of the workers' often-precarious status in Germany.
Academic text (2001) -
The potential of mirrors to create the conditions for both solipsism and reification should be obvious.
Academic text (2002) -
"The first problem is called reification, which means converting an abstract idea (mostly a word) into a thing.
Blog text (13) -
During discussion, the facilitator could verify that the reifications were effective.
Academic text (2000) -
Moreover, a reification process occurs that projects an egalitarian self-image.
Academic text (1995) -
A significant one is reification, whereby categories representing conceptual constructs come to be viewed as empirically "real" and "natural."
Academic text (2005) -
In discussions about identity, reification often leads to the oversimplification of complex human experiences into mere categories.
-
The artist's work serves as a reification of societal issues, transforming invisible struggles into displayed forms that provoke thought.
Synonyms
14
3.6
Making a plan or idea real
11
8.2
Treating ideas or feelings as if they were a real thing you can touch
6
7.5
The process of turning an idea into something real or making it seem real
1
7.2
An idea or plan that becomes real and takes a clear form
1
7.8
Making an idea or plan clear and real with details
1
9.9
Treating an idea as if it were a real thing
Making an idea or plan into something real
Antonyms
How Concrete
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Reification comes from the Latin root res meaning 'thing' and the ending -ify meaning 'to make', so it literally means 'to make into a thing'. That's why the word is used when people treat an abstract idea as if it were a real, fixed thing.