third space
third space noun: a state or situation in which cultural distinctions do not apply, allowing one to transcend cultural assumptions.
Noun (1)
third space (countable and uncountable, plural third spaces)
- A state or situation in which cultural distinctions do not apply, allowing one to transcend cultural assumptions.
- Third space cannot be produced by the simple transmutation of an excess corporate profit into a charitable "gift": tainted money remains suspect unless it is transformed by a self-consious philanthropic effort.2000, Jon Van Til, Growing Civil Society: From Nonprofit Sector to Third Space, →ISBN
- While some have begun to define the concept of third space, the ever-changing nature of third space theory is a constant roadblock for scholars in this area.2008, Living in Multiple Worlds, →ISBN, page 30
- A place that is neither home nor work, providing a venue for social interaction in a way that those places do not provide.
- For youth of Korea – where most still live at home before getting married – these third spaces operate as spaces to connect with other like-minded people.2008, Larissa Hjorth, Mobile Media in the Asia-Pacific, page 258
- WeightWatchers meetings were a third space, those increasingly rare places that are not work and are not home.2025 May 15, Jennifer Weiner, “WeightWatchers Got One Thing Very Right”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 May 2025
- Synonyms:
- third place
- An extracellular and extravascular space where abnormal fluid buildup can occur when fluid balance goes wrong.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see third, space.
Noun (2) capitalized: Third Space
Third Space (countable and uncountable, plural Third Spaces)
- Alternative letter-case form of third space.
- There is much in existing language teaching which will support this aim, but it needs to be reconceptualised within a firmly intercultural framework, which can develop a pedagogy of the Third Space.2001, Michael Kelly, Imelda Elliott, Lars Fant, Third Level, Third Space: intercultural communication and language, →ISBN, page 129
- It is in this latter section that we will explore the close relationship between hybridity and the concept of the Third Space, which emerges as a major conceptual tool in understanding how hybridity works.2013, Revd Dr Christopher R Baker, The Hybrid Church in the City: Third Space Thinking, →ISBN
Synonyms of third space
Forms of third space
| plural | third spaces |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Third Space |
| plural | Third Spaces |
Origin of third space
The first sense was coined by Indian critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha in the context of his hybridity theory.
Questions about third space
- What does third space mean?
- Third space means a state or situation in which cultural distinctions do not apply, allowing one to transcend cultural assumptions.
- What part of speech is third space?
- Third space is a noun.
- What is the plural of third space?
- The plural of third space is third spaces.
Words near third space in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: third space (page history and authors); Third Space (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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Cite this entry: “third space.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/third_space. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.