Mengendefinition

Mengendefinition is a neologism used in some Indonesian-language discourse to describe the act or practice of removing, contesting, or destabilizing a conventional definition of a concept. The term is typically discussed in the context of rhetoric, philosophy, media studies, or online debate, where the goal is to loosen fixed boundaries around a term and allow meaning to shift through usage and context.

Etymology and form: the word combines the Indonesian prefix me-ng-(), which marks an active transitive verb, with a base formed from the English word definition, here adapted into a form that fits Indonesian phonology. As a coined term, its exact parsing can vary in casual use, and it is not standardized in authoritative dictionaries.

Usage and mechanisms: Mengendefinition can involve explicit rejection of a stable definition, reframing a term by altering its scope, or appealing to context to render a term indeterminate. It may be used to critique rigid categorizations, or to argue that contested concepts should be understood as fluid. Examples are often situational, such as debates about concepts like privacy, identity, or sovereignty, where boundaries are acknowledged to be culturally contingent.

Reception and limitations: Mengendefinition is not a formally established term in linguistics or philosophy and is mostly encountered in contemporary discourse, blogs, or social media. Critics argue that excessive enddefinition can cause ambiguity and hinder precise communication, while proponents view it as a critical tool for examining assumptions and promoting interpretive flexibility.

See also: definisi, semantik, dekontruksi, redefinisi.