A definition essay defines a term, word,
or concept in depth by providing your personal commentaries about what a
concrete term means. To fully explain your attitude, judgment, or opinion about
a term you will have to write an extended
definition essay.
Definitions
may be classified into three main types: short, stipulated, and extended.
- A short definition explains the word by a concise identification of its meaning.
- A stipulated definition gives a new meaning to a term for the purposes of argument or discussion in a given context.
- An extended definition essay can contain short and stipulated definitions. Though it should go beyond both. Extended definitions seek to explain the writer’s view of a subject, something that cannot be done effectively in a short definition. They modify and illustrate a dictionary definition, and provide descriptive examples.
The definition essay provides a personal and extended definition of the terms by linking or comparing the term to a
previous definition and illustrating how that term should be applied.
Setting up a Definition Essay
- The first thing you should do is to select a subject carefully. Among a host of definition essays topics, select a term that you know well enough so that you can provide specific examples to illustrate your definition. Since definition essays are personal in nature, a term you will define should have some interest, importance, or meaning to you personally.
- Begin by writing few simple statements about this term. Consult a dictionary and jot down all dictionary definitions of the term that you will find. Discover denotative and connotative meanings of this term in a thesaurus.
- Describe some specific and distinguishing features of this term.
A good definition
essay tells the readers what term is being defined, presents a clear and
precise basic definition, and uses good examples to support the definition.
Students usually
start writing their definition essays
with presenting dictionary definitions. In fact, dictionaries provide a decent
starting point for essay writing. However,
they should not be treated as final authorities. To write a genuinely original
and comprehensive definition essay,
you should use your imagination and look for something about the chosen term
that nobody else has noticed.
Every
professor will appreciate if you go beyond a simple dictionary definition and present
an original view on the subject.
