n.
Pronunciation: ˌ d ē -k ə n- ' str ə k-sh ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: French déconstruction, from dé- de- + construction
Date: 1973
1 : a philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers also : an instance of the use of this method <a deconstruction of the nature-culture opposition in Rousseau's work>
2 : the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy