contextualism
/kənˈtɛkstʃuəˌlɪzəm/
noun
- A theory or approach that emphasizes the importance of context in understanding the meaning of words, actions, or events.
- Contextualism in philosophy argues that the truth of a statement depends on the situation in which it is said.
- The art critic used contextualism to explain how the painting reflected the social issues of its time.
- In linguistics, contextualism studies how meaning changes with different conversational settings.