Definition Paragraph

A definition explains the meaning of a word or term.

The definition paragraph is a definition sentence that is expanded into a paragraph.

A clear definition can:

1. avoid confusion and mistakes

2. convey what is meant exactly without being misunderstood

3. also help you to understand what other people mean

A good definition:

1. tell the reader what word is being defined

2. present a clear and precise basic definition

3. use specific examples to show what the writer means

4. use words and examples that readers will understand

Types:

1. Denotative – refers to the exact or dictionary meaning of a word.

2. Connotative – refers to the feelings or qualities a reader associates with a word.

3. Stipulative – refers to the specified meaning of a word which is not a standard usage.

Order:

1. Emphatic

2. Spatial

3. Chronological

How to define:

1. Tell what people say about it.

2. Give a dictionary definition.

3. Describe it in detail.

4. Add your personal experiences.

5. Compare it to something.

6. Tell what it is not.

7. Provide examples.

8. Explain the different kinds.

9. Tell the history of the word

10. Use a quotation.

A good definition should include:

1. term – or word being defined

2. class – the (big) group to which the term belongs

3. differentiating features – what makes it different with the others from the same class

Example:

Trivia is a type of information that is unimportant, inconsequential or inessential.

Term – trivia

Class – information

Differentiating features – it is unimportant compared to other types of information

A definition can be brief or extended; it can also be formal or informal. A brief definition can be just a sentence. Extended definition can be a combination of dictionary and special meanings of a term. Extended examples can also contain description, narration and/ or other kinds of paragraph development.

A dictionary definition of a term is an example of a formal definition. Informal definition can be a person’s meaning of a term. Students are usually asked to give their own definition of terms they have studied in class to find out if they have understood the lesson well. Sometimes, an informal definition can be funny, light, or humorous.

Example: Fine is a word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

Examples of brief denotative definition

A symbol is something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance. (Merriam-Webster’s On-line Dictionary)

An emoticon is a symbol, usually found in e-mail messages, made up of punctuation marks that resemble a human expression. The word emoticon is a combination of the words emotion and icon.

Male is a sex that denotes an animal which produces sperm cells in order to reproduce. (Webster’s Online Dictionary)

Examples of extended definition

Graveyard shift – In Victorian times, there was an intense fear of being buried alive, so when someone died, a small hole was dug from the casket to the surface. Then a string was tied around the dead person’s finger which was then attached to a small but loud bell that was hung on the surface of the grave. So then, if someone was buried alive, he or she could ring the bell and whoever was on duty would go and dig him or her up. Someone was on the clock 24 hours a day – hence the grave yard shift.

EXAMPLES:

(brief definition)

(extended definition)

(extended definition with narration)

(essay-extended definition combined with description and narration)