WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
con•tex•tu•al•ism
(kən teks′cho̅o̅ ə liz′əm),USA pronunciation n.
con•tex′tu•al•ist, n., adj.
- Cinema, Show Business(in motion-picture criticism) the theory that all incidents in a film must be viewed in the social, political, and cultural context with which the film concerns itself and in which it was made.
- Architecturethe aesthetic position that a building or the like should be designed for harmony or a meaningful relationship with other such elements already existing in its vicinity.
- contextual + -ism 1925–30