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conception

[kuhn-sep-shuhn] / kənˈsɛp ʃən /




Usage

What are other ways to say conception? The noun conception suggests a thought that seems complete, individual, recent, or somewhat intricate: The architect's conception delighted them. Thought, which reflects its primary emphasis on the mental process, may denote any concept except the more weighty and elaborate ones: I welcomed his thoughts on the subject. A thought came to him. Notion suggests a fleeting, vague, or imperfect thought: a bare notion of how to proceed. Idea, although it may refer to thoughts of any degree of seriousness or triviality, is commonly used for mental concepts considered more important or elaborate: We pondered the idea of the fourth dimension. The idea of his arrival frightened me.  

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

That conception of Elvis has also faded in recent years, in no small part thanks to Baz Luhrmann’s glitzy, campy 2022 biopic.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

The two have worked with the artist since 2009, and in previous presentations he approached the conception and installation as a kind of director.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

By the first 1,000 days, we mean the period from conception to a child’s second birthday.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

This coheres with Keynes’s conception of much contemporary economic life as a struggle between creditors and debtors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

They, he maintains, do not have an adequate conception of an omnipotent god.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Devastated by Nazi Germany's forces during World War II, Poland has significantly improved relations with its Western neighbour since entering the EU and NATO, but some historical conceptions of Berlin remain.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

While both statesmen were deists who believed in predestination and embraced the rational philosophy of the Enlightenment, they had different conceptions of what enlightened government meant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

But TV had never seen anything quite like the Krofft shows, with its Day-Glo aesthetic, crazy conceptions and combination of puppets, costume puppets and costumed human characters into a half-hour comedy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

These aspirations speak to customers’ greatest desires, their dreams for the future, and their conceptions of who they are and who they strive to be.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026

Nazism and Lysenkoism were based on dramatically opposed conceptions of heredity—but the parallels between the two movements are striking.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee


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