hermeneutics

[hur-muh-noo-tiks, -nyoo-] / ˌhɜr məˈnu tɪks, -ˈnyu- /

NOUN

the science of searching for hidden meaning in texts

Synonyms

STRONG

exploration interpretation investigation revealing unmasking

WEAK

exegetics literary criticism psychoanalytic criticism

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.

In fact, hermeneutics challenges the basic idea of things having one absolute meaning.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

I found that when I looked in bibliographies, I was running across words like "phenomenology" and "hermeneutics" and things I didn't quite understand why they were there.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2021

Sharpton was at the lectern letting his words roar and flow, telling stories that circled back on each other in the familiar hermeneutics of black preachers.

From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2020

He joined her at classes on Bible translation and hermeneutics, and enjoyed them.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 15, 2019

If the solemn and deliberate language of resolutions is to be interpreted by contraries, what rule of hermeneutics shall we apply to the letter of a candidate?

From The Writings of James Russell Lowell in Prose and Poetry, Volume V Political Essays by Lowell, James Russell