Words are slippery. You think you know what a word means until someone asks you to explain it to a five-year-old, and suddenly, you’re stuttering. Most people assume that providing an example of a definition is a straightforward task of opening a dictionary and reading aloud. It isn't. Not really.
If I tell you a "glockenspiel" is a percussion instrument with tuned metal bars, I've given you a formal definition. But if you've never seen one, you’re still lost. You need context. You need to know it sounds like falling ice and looks like a tiny, silver xylophone.
That’s the gap between "knowing" a word and "understanding" a concept.
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The Mechanics of a Great Definition
When we talk about an example of a definition, we’re usually looking at three distinct parts: the term, the genus, and the differentia. This is the Aristotelian approach. It’s old, it’s dusty, but it works. The term is the thing itself. The genus is the family it belongs to. The differentia is the "secret sauce" that makes it different from its siblings.
Take the word "Chair."
The genus is furniture. But a table is also furniture. So, the differentia is that it’s designed for one person to sit on and typically has a back.
Simple? Sure. But look at how definitions evolve. If you looked up "marriage" in a dictionary from 1950, the definition would be legally and socially restricted in a way that doesn’t reflect modern law or societal norms in 2026. Definitions are living things. They breathe. They change because we change.
Dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) aren't actually "law books" for language. They are historians. They track how we’re currently using words. When people get angry that "literally" now also means "figuratively" in some dictionaries, they’re missing the point. The dictionary isn't saying it’s right; it’s saying that’s what people are doing.
Types of Definitions You Use Every Day
Most of us use "lexical definitions." These are the ones that report how a word is used in a specific language community. If you’re a doctor, you use "stipulative definitions" frequently. This happens when you need to assign a very specific, new meaning to a term for the sake of a study or a technical process.
Imagine you’re starting a club. You decide that for your club, a "Veteran" is anyone who has played more than 50 games of chess. That’s a stipulative definition. It’s not the "real" world definition, but it’s the law within your specific sandbox.
Then there’s the "precising definition."
These are used to clear up vagueness. If a store says "Discounts for low-income families," that’s vague. To make it work, they have to define "low-income" precisely—perhaps as a household earning less than $35,000 a year. Without that precision, the original definition is basically useless in a legal or practical sense.
Why Technical Definitions Often Fail the Public
I’ve spent a lot of time reading technical manuals. They are often terrible at providing a clear example of a definition because they suffer from the "curse of knowledge." The writers forget what it’s like to not know.
If you ask a physicist to define "Time," they might start talking about entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. It’s accurate. It’s also completely unhelpful if you’re just trying to figure out why your watch is broken.
Good definitions require empathy.
You have to meet the reader where they are. In 1945, George Orwell wrote an essay called "Politics and the English Language." He argued that sloppy language makes it easier to have foolish thoughts. He was right. When we use "vague-speak"—words like "facilitate" or "utilize" instead of "help" or "use"—we aren't being more defined. We’re being more obscure.
The Difference Between Denotation and Connotation
To really grasp an example of a definition, you have to understand the two layers of meaning.
- Denotation: The literal, "dictionary" meaning.
- Connotation: The emotional baggage the word carries.
Take the words "Cheap" and "Inexpensive."
By denotation, they mean the same thing: low cost. But if you tell your partner you bought them a "cheap" engagement ring, you’re going to have a very bad night. "Inexpensive" suggests value. "Cheap" suggests poor quality. The definition in your head is far more complex than the one on the page.
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Real-World Examples of Defining the Indefinable
Some things are notoriously hard to define. How do you define "Art"?
For centuries, people tried to define art by its beauty. Then Marcel Duchamp put a urinal in a gallery and called it Fountain. Suddenly, the definition of art shifted from "something beautiful" to "something an artist designates as art." It became a conceptual definition.
Or consider "Health."
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health not just as the absence of disease, but as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being." That’s a massive definition. It’s aspirational. It moves the goalposts from "not dying" to "thriving."
When Definitions Lead to Legal Wars
In the business world, a single example of a definition can be worth billions.
There was a famous court case in the 1950s (Frigaliment Importing Co. v. B.N.S. International Sales Corp.) that was literally all about the definition of "chicken." One party thought "chicken" meant young, tender birds suitable for frying. The other thought it included old "stewing" hens. The court had to look at trade usage, dictionary definitions, and even previous telegrams to decide what "chicken" actually meant in a contract.
Precise definitions aren't just for English teachers. They are the guardrails of civilization.
How to Write Your Own Definitions
If you’re trying to explain a complex idea, don't just mimic a dictionary. Start with a "functional definition." Explain what the thing does.
If you’re defining "Bitcoin" for your grandmother, don't start with "decentralized ledger technology." Start with "It’s like digital gold that you can send through the internet without a bank." You’ve given her a genus (digital gold) and a differentia (no bank, sent via internet).
Always use "ostensive definitions" when possible. This is just a fancy way of saying "pointing at it." If you want to define the color "mauve," don't describe the light frequency. Point to a mauve flower.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Circular Definitions: Don't use the word to define the word. "A writer is someone who writes." Thanks, Captain Obvious.
- Too Broad: "A car is a vehicle with wheels." So is a bicycle. Try again.
- Too Narrow: "A bird is a creature that flies." Penguins would like a word.
- Obscure Language: Using bigger words to define a smaller word is just showing off. It doesn't help anyone.
Moving Beyond the Dictionary
The most powerful definitions are often those that challenge our assumptions.
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We think we know what "Success" is. The default definition is usually money or status. But if you redefine success as "the percentage of your time you own," your entire life trajectory changes.
That’s the secret power of an example of a definition. It isn't just a linguistic exercise. It’s a way of framing reality. When you control the definition, you control the conversation.
Actionable Steps for Clear Communication
If you want to improve how you define things in your professional or personal life, try these specific tactics:
- The "Elimination" Test: State what the thing is not. If you’re defining "Leadership," explain how it differs from "Management."
- The Analogy Bridge: Compare the new term to something the audience already knows. "A firewall is like a bouncer for your computer."
- Contextual Grounding: Always provide a sentence where the word is used in action. Abstract definitions are hard to memorize; stories are easy.
- Check for Jargon: If your definition includes three other words that also need defining, you’ve failed. Strip it down.
- Iterative Feedback: Ask someone to repeat the definition back to you in their own words. If they can’t do it, your definition is too complex.
Words are the tools we use to build our world. Using them precisely isn't about being a "grammar snob"—it's about making sure the person listening to you is actually seeing the same world you are. Stop relying on vague "you know what I mean" statements. They don't know what you mean. Define it for them.