HOW TO WRITE A DEFINITION ESSAY: TOPICS AND SAMPLES

HOW TO WRITE A DEFINITION ESSAY: TOPICS AND SAMPLES

Definition Essay?

What are some good definition essay ideas?

To answer all of your questions about how to write a definition essay, start reading this complete guide.

1. What is a Definition Essay?

As the name suggests, a definition essay requires you to come up with your own academic definition of a specific word, a concept or an idea. The definition can be concrete or abstract depending on the word, for instance, you can provide an exact definition for a “table” but for a concept like “love,” it isn’t possible to do so. Such terms will rely on your point of view.

Your definition must be detailed and well researched with supporting evidence. When choosing a word, or concept idea, make sure you have plenty to write about and can give the audience some additional information from a different perspective.

To further explain what is a definition essay, take a look at its basic elements.

1.1. Basic Elements of Definition Essay

• Introduce the term being defined.
• Provide necessary information.
• State facts and relevant examples to increase the reader’s understanding.

2. How to Write a Definition Essay?

In this section, we will teach you how to write a definition essay and cover the steps that must be followed when writing a definition essay.

2.1. Choose a Word or Idea

The first step, of course, is picking the right topic. Now, how do you know what makes a topic good?

The perfect topic for a definition essay is an abstract concept that people can’t find the definition of in a dictionary.

It is essential that you have complete understanding of the term you have chosen. When choosing a concrete term, don’t simply copy its definition that you find in a dictionary, instead, explain it in your own words. Search information online, many discussion forums are talking about off the mainstream type of things and you may find something valuable there for your essay.

2.2. Don’t Pick Objects to be Your Topic

Also, stay away from choosing different objects as your topic, for example, writing about objects such as “table,” “glass,” “door,” can be difficult. Since there isn’t much to write about such topics and you won’t be able to come up with a meaningful piece of writing.

2.3. Go with a Familiar Word

Writing about a familiar subject that you understand is far easier than giving your thoughts about something completely new.

For instance, you obviously know what love is, you might have experienced it too, you can easily write about it with respect to your experience and feelings.

2.4. Pick a Word with Multiple Meanings

Try finding a word that has more than one meaning to different people; a term that would mean something else for different people like literary and contextual meanings are different and what something means literarily may not mean the same in context of a writing. Such a word or idea will give you more ground to expound your views and ideas.

This will give you the opportunity of writing more while including your personal experience and interpreting others’ ideas and thoughts.

Let’s take the same example of choosing “love” as your topic. Love is a concept that everyone experiences in their own way; some take love as a platonic feeling while others do not feel this depth and for them it is nothing more than something topical and worldly. So, you can write about it from different perspectives.

2.5. Check its Literal Definition

Take help from dictionaries and encyclopedias, find the official definition of a word and its origin, study where the word came from and if there are any theories regarding it.

Along with that, you can find useful information on the internet. You can find several scholarly articles, academic essays, blogs, informative videos, etc.

This information is posted on the internet by intelligent and well-informed people; use their knowledge to your advantage.

2.6. Look for Different Perspectives

After you have established what a word or concept means to you, it is now time to look at things from a different point of view.

You can talk to your friends and family what a word means to them or what is the first thing that comes to their mind upon hearing this word, what are their feelings when hearing the word, etc.

Record their answers and use them to define your topic.

2.7. Create a Definition

The next step is using the research to come up with your own definition. To write an effective definition, consider the following pointers.

2.7.1 Function

You can define a term by explaining what it does and its mechanism.

2.7.2 Structure

Define a term by its structure and how it is organized.

2.7.3 Analysis

Define a term using analysis. Compare the term you are writing about with other members of its category. The differences are important as they make your term stand out from the rest. For instance, you can compare an iPhone with a Samsung smartphone.

2.7.4 Negation

For a term that is misunderstood or isn’t used in the right context, it is a good practice to explain what the term truly means and myths related to it.

2.7.5 Examples

Use examples such as facts, anecdotes, images, stories to help your reader form a better understanding of the term.

Note: Don’t use examples that are against your definition.

If you’re writing a definition essay on “hope,” then you could add example about your friend or a neighbor, or someone you know, fighting and recovering from cancer and how they didn’t lose hope

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3. Definition Essay Outline

Similar to other academic essays, definition essay requires proper planning and an outline. An outline is a draft of your essay, which includes the significant components of the essay. Sticking to an outline helps you stay on track and complete your essay logically.

Your definition essay outline will have the following components.

• Introduction
• Thesis statement
• Body Paragraphs
• Conclusion

3.1. Definition Essay Introduction

In the first paragraph of your essay, introduce the word you have chosen to talk about along with its dictionary definition to provide a basis for understanding.

This is beneficial when your own definition is different from the actual definition.

Also, hooks are an essential part of a definition essay introduction, in order to gain the reader’s attention, use a catchy or shocking piece of information.

3.2. Definition Essay Thesis

A definition essay doesn’t have a typical thesis statement; it requires you to define the term in your own words. Don’t give away the entire definition; leave further explanation for the body of your essay.

3.3. Definition Essay Body

The body is the most essential element of any essay; here you will provide in-depth definition of the word with supporting facts and examples.

The number of body paragraphs depends upon the complexity of your topic; it could be three or more.

Utilize these paragraphs to investigate and present important information about the word, its history, usage, origin, context, etc.

• Every new idea should go in a different paragraph. Don’t forget to link these paragraphs using transition words.
• With words having more than one meaning, make sure to explain all of them in detail.
• Use different perspectives to support your definition.

3.4. Definition Essay Conclusion

The conclusion is the section where you sum up the entire essay, no additional or new information should be introduced at this point.

Simply, summarize the main points of the essay in the start of your conclusion.

Leave the audience with some final thoughts explaining how the definition affected you and played a part in your life.

Don’t mention a story or experience that contradicts what you have written in the essay.

4. How to Start a Definition Essay?

To get you started with the writing process here is a detailed definition essay format that you can fill step-by-step to craft an effective essay.

4.1. Definition Essay Format

Definition Essay Format (PDF)

5. Definition Essay Topics

You can’t write an exceptional essay without a good topic, can you?

Choosing an interesting topic is no doubt a challenging task.

To make this process a little less time consuming and burdensome for you, here is a list of top definition essay topics.

5.1. Topics on Happiness

• Why are the terms money and happiness interlinked for some people?
• What is happiness for different people?
• Philosophical meaning of happiness.
• How does one feel happiness?
• Is happiness a myth?

5.2. Topics on Freedom

• What is the meaning of freedom in different cultures?
• The meaning of freedom: reality vs. fantasy.
• What is freedom: abstract definition.
• What is freedom of speech?
• What is religious freedom?

5.3. Topics on Love

• What does love mean for different people?
• How do people around you describe love?
• What does love mean for young adults?
• What does true love mean?
• What is eternal love?

5.4. Topics on Family

• The meaning and origin of family.
• The institution of family.
• A dysfunctional family.
• An American family.
• Family and biology.

5.5. Topics on Science

• What does science mean, exactly?
• What is science in today’s world?
• Multiple definitions of science.
• Origin of science.
• What is science?

5.6. Topics on Business

• What is the extended meaning of business?
• What are the many meanings of business?
• What does the term business mean?
• Define business to a layperson.
• Define a successful business.

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6. Definition Essay Examples

It can be a pretty tricky thing to understand if you haven’t written a definition essay before. Before you jump right to the writing stage, it is best to read and seek help from someone else’s essay on the same topic.

In order to increase your understanding, check out these definition essay examples given below.

6.1. Definition Essay Samples

Definition Essay Samples (PDF)

7. Dos and Don’ts

When writing a definition essay, keep in mind these dos and don’ts.

DO	DONT
Give your own interpretation of a word.	Don’t copy the definition and use it as is.
Choose a term that you have a personal experience with or has impacted you in some way.	Don’t go with a word that you don’t understand the meaning of.
Be specific and narrow down your topic to a single aspect.	Don’t pick something too narrow that has an obvious meaning.
Transition from one paragraph to another using logical words such as moreover, furthermore, in addition to, etc.	Don’t give too many details keep in your word count.
Ask your friends and family to review your essay and give feedback.	Don’t submit your essay without proper proofreading and revision.

8. Definition Essay Help

We hope that this complete guide on how to write a definition essay was helpful and answered all of your queries.

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