What is a Definition Essay?
Similarly, as the name proposes, a definition essay characterizes and clarifies a term or an idea. Dissimilar to a narrative essay, the reason for crafting a definition essay is to illustrate to the reader the main idea.
Definition essay must be supported through the real-world example, unlike a narrative essay that supports all the fiction.
Writing a definition essay is an interesting task. A few terms, ideas, and writings have strong definitions when clarified. Conversely, others are exclusively founded on the writer’s arrangement and perspective.
A definition article requires a writer to utilize various methodologies while examining a term.
Methodologies of Definition Essay
These methodologies are as follows:
- Denotation: It is the method by which you give an exacting or academic meaning to the term.
- Connotation: It is the method by which the author gives suggestive meaning to the term.
Enumeration: For this methodology, a rundown is used to characterize or define a term or an idea. - Analogy: It is a method where something is characterized by carrying out a correlation.
- Negation: It is the method by which you characterize a term by expressing what it isn't.
You can use a single method or approach, or you can even use two in one essay. This choice entirely depends upon the writer of an essay. This essay requires a comprehensive discussion and explanation.
Therefore if you are allowed to choose the topic by yourself, choose a topic that can be explained comprehensively.
How to Start a Definition Essay?
Turn your essay into an impressive piece of writing by considering the following point before starting an essay:
- Debatable Word
Look for a particular term for your essay. An ideal way to do it is to work with a questionable idea or term that is debatable. Your essay becomes subjective if you choose such a topic and start debating about the respective topic. Provide ideas according to your point of view and support them with strong claims and evidence. - Use Thesaurus Definition
Whenever you have picked the topic or any word, search for its word reference definition. A word reference definition is the fundamental meaning of a word, as indicated by the educational standard. - Research the Source
To search for the origin of the word or topic is very beneficial. It will provide you with the background information of the word along with its evolution, transformation, and much more.
How to Write a Definition Essay?
To write a winning definition essay, it is important to know about the basic steps. The definition essay is similar to the wide range of various conventional essays that require the same research, planning, and then writing.
Following are the steps to write a definition essay:
1. Select an Abstract Term
Rather than picking a term that has definite information available, pick a controversial word. The complex ideas have abstract concepts that require a writer to investigate further. Also, ensure that the term chosen is seen contrastingly by various individuals.
2. Distinguish the Dictionary Definition When you have chosen a word to write your definition essay, read the word from the dictionary. These scholastic definitions from the dictionary are significant as you can utilize them to contrast your agreement and the authority idea.
Specialists recommend not to finish a term that you are inexperienced with. Drafting a definition essay is tied in with expressing the word reference meaning and your clarification of the idea. So the writer needs to have some data about the term.
Likewise, while investigating the term, make a point to actually look at the term's starting point. The historical backdrop of the word can cause you to examine it in a better manner.
3. Pick a Topic
Thinking of an intriguing title for your paper is significant. The essay topic will be the principal thing that your reader will observe, so it ought to be engaging.
Draft the essay topic in such a way that it reflects the topic. What's more, the use of the term in the title ought to be used correctly. You should be able to define the topic in a way that the reader gets the idea of everything at a glance.
4. Accumulate Information
Since you have a subject close by, the time has come to gather some applicable data. A definition essay requires more information than other types of essay. It addresses the writer’s view of the picked term and the topic.
So having just close to home information won't be sufficient to safeguard your point. You must need strong sources and evidence to support your information. Therefore gather information from the trusted sources that can be cited afterward.
5. Make an Outline
The outline should be assembled in an organized form. The data should be organized to give a construction to the content. A definition essay can be composed utilizing the traditional essay outline in which the whole content is separated into three areas:
- Introduction
- Body Paragraph
- Conclusion
Your target audience needs a reasonable and organized definition essay structure to keep track of. Also, an outline acquires a flow of the text that easily takes the audience from the introduction to the end.
6. Compose the First Draft
Drafting each part accurately is a tiring assignment. It takes time for the writer to choose which part to add and where to insert the information so that it is more beneficial for the reader.
The beginning of your essay matters a great deal. Introduce the main part of your essay, so it must be interesting to hook the reader. And also, the conclusion should be in a way that it leaves the reader to think about the essay.
To compose your definition essay introduction perfectly, incorporate the following points:
- Start your essay with a great hook statement that is identified with the subject and the term picked.
- Define the term in the most commonly used definition. So that it is easy for the reader to grasp. Also, if a term has more than one meaning or alternate name, then you should use the most commonly known.
- Give brief background information. Decide the beginning of the term and other applicable data.
- Also, define the unconventional terms related to the topic. It helps the reader’s attention.
- In the end, sum up all the information provided in the introduction with a strong thesis statement.
After the introduction comes the body paragraphs of an essay. In this section, you have to support your thesis statement with strong evidence. To draft this segment perfectly follow the following steps:
- A detailed clarification of the historical background of the topic.
- Examination of the specific word reference significance and use of the term.
- A correlation and impression of individual understanding and the explored information on the idea.
When you have provided all of your evidence, now is the time to give a final conclusion. The last section of the definition essay is the conclusion. The writer summarizes his/her discussion and gives knowledge into the theme of the topic.
The concluding section includes:
- Rundown of the significant point stated in the thesis statement.
- Revise the thesis statement here again.
A last decision on the topic.
7. Edit and Proofread
The essay finishes up with the conclusion paragraph. But you must edit and proofread it. Proofreading is the essential part, but many students leave this part in return they overlook some major mistakes. And this causes them to lose their marks.
It is very important to revise your assignment before submitting it to your instructors.
Definition Essay Example
Following is the definition essay example for your consideration. So that you understand in a better way how to craft a definition essay.
Racism Definition Essay
Music Definition Essay
Definition Essay Topics
Some interesting ideas and great definition essay topics are:
- Happiness
- Social media
- NATO
- Surrealism
- Down whistling
- Politics
- Success
- Business Women
- Peer pressure
- Communism
- Modern art
- E-commerce
- Perfect couple
- Family
- Buddhism
- Strong leader
- Racism
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