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Glite Dictionary
to decontextualize

to decontextualize

1 9.0
To remove something from the situation where it came from so people can understand or use it on its own
  • verb
  • /ˌdiːkənˈtɛkstəlaɪz/
translation icon : descontextualizar
  • Traditional grammar instruction involving worksheets and decontextualized practice should generally be avoided (Graham & Perin, 2007; Hillocks, 1984).
  • decontextualized skills
  • decontextualized practice
  • decontextualized instruction

I reassure them that actually many of these cases, they're just going back and decoding and decontextualizing the whole mess.

Examples

  • Western examination systems are decontextualized, often preparing children for alien environments that are frequently in conflict with the traditional ones.

    Academic text (2000)

  • If I decontextualized the information any further, its value would be significantly undermined.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Thus decontextualized, an idea or a situation can be understood in a different way.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Currently, as Ciliska suggested, EBP is taught as decontextualized knowledge, and the relevance of this knowledge must be supported through its integration in clinical practice.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Nineteenth-century gift albums, for example, decontextualize verses in the process of turning them into nostalgic keepsakes.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Many scholars argue, in other words, that maternal ideology falsely naturalizes, individualizes, and decontextualizes the practice of mothering.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Teachers sometimes decontextualize lessons to help students focus on specific concepts without distractions.

  • When you decontextualize a statement, it can lead to misunderstandings about the speaker's true intentions.

  • In art, critics may decontextualize works to analyze them separately from their original cultural significance.

Synonyms

to take out
vsto decontextualize
948 1.9

To remove something from a place or container

removes context specifically to allow separate understanding or use
to disassociate
vsto decontextualize
16 7.0

To end a connection with a person, group, or idea

refers to removing context for separate understanding rather than ending ties
to dissociate
vsto decontextualize
2 7.0

To treat two things as separate and not related

focuses on removing original context so it can be considered alone
to decouple
vsto decontextualize
  • Specialized
1 6.8

Reduce the connection so one part does not affect another

means removing context for separate understanding rather than cutting technical links
to disembed
vsto decontextualize
8.2

To take something out of the place or situation where it first came from

removes context so it can be understood or used separately

Antonyms

to contextualize
7 6.3

To put information into its background so people understand it better

How Decontextualized

to decontextualize
1 9.0
to isolate
256 4.2
to extract
26 3.7

Surface Forms

decontextualize infinitive
decontextualized past
decontextualized past participle
decontextualizing present participle
decontextualizes third person singular

Morphology

decontextualize = contextualize (semi-transparent) = de + context + ual + ize

The word is formed by adding the negating/removing prefix de- to contextualize, so the overall meaning is directly recoverable from the parts.

Etymology

Decontextualize comes from the prefix de- meaning 'remove' and context, which you can think of as text plus the 'words or situation around it'. So, to decontextualize something is to take it out of its original setting so you can study or use it alone.