Word.ws English Dictionary

subtextuality

subtextuality noun: the idea that a given text can contain countercurrents or repressed elements within it, or such elements in a text.

Noun

subtextuality (countable and uncountable, plural subtextualities)

  1. The idea that a given text can contain countercurrents or repressed elements within it, or such elements in a text.
    • But Stein's conception of psychology is decidedly pre-Freudian, and her stylistic investment in complex subtextuality is surprisingly minimal.2006, Eric Schocket, Vanishing Moments: Class and American Literature

Forms of subtextuality

pluralsubtextualities

Origin of subtextuality

From sub- + textuality or subtextual + -ity.

Questions about subtextuality

What does subtextuality mean?
Subtextuality means the idea that a given text can contain countercurrents or repressed elements within it, or such elements in a text.
What part of speech is subtextuality?
Subtextuality is a noun.
What is the plural of subtextuality?
The plural of subtextuality is subtextualities.

Words near subtextuality in the dictionary

  1. subtexting
  2. subtextless
  3. subtexts
  4. subtextual
  5. subtextualities
  6. subtextuality
  7. subtextualization
  8. subtextualizations
  9. subtextualize
  10. subtextualized
  11. subtextualizes

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: subtextuality (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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