interrogation
C1Neutral to Formal. Common in legal, police, military, journalistic, and academic contexts.
Definition
Meaning
The formal, systematic, and often intense questioning of someone, especially by an authority (e.g., police, military, government), to obtain information, a confession, or the truth.
Any rigorous or prolonged questioning, or a detailed process of inquiry (e.g., by a journalist, in an academic context). Can also refer to the act of questioning something critically (e.g., interrogating a text, a social norm).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun. The process connotes an imbalance of power, where the interrogator has authority over the person being questioned. Implies a seriousness of purpose, often under pressure.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word itself is identical in form and core meaning. Differences may lie in associated terminology (e.g., 'interview under caution' (UK) vs. 'custodial interrogation' (US) in legal contexts) and procedural details.
Connotations
Equally strong connotations of official, formal, and potentially coercive questioning in both dialects.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both dialects due to shared legal/police/military frameworks and media coverage.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
the interrogation of [person/group]an interrogation by [authority]under interrogation from [authority]subject [someone] to interrogationVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “give someone the third degree (informal synonym)”
- “under the spotlight (metaphorically similar)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Possibly in internal investigations: 'He faced a sharp interrogation from the board about the missing funds.'
Academic
Used in critical theory, discourse analysis, etc.: 'The paper offers an interrogation of colonial narratives in the text.'
Everyday
Used when describing serious questioning by authorities or in a figurative sense: 'My parents gave me a proper interrogation when I came home late.'
Technical
Core usage in law enforcement, intelligence, and law: 'The suspect's rights during police interrogation are clearly defined.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The suspect will be interrogated at the station.
- They were interrogating the witness for hours.
American English
- The suspect will be interrogated at the precinct.
- They interrogated the witness for hours.
adverb
British English
- The officer looked at him interrogatively.
- She asked interrogatively, 'Where were you really?'
American English
- The detective looked at him interrogatively.
- He said interrogatively, 'Is that your final answer?'
adjective
British English
- The interrogation room was cold and bare.
- They used advanced interrogation techniques.
American English
- The interrogation room was cold and bare.
- They used enhanced interrogation techniques.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The police asked him many questions in the interrogation.
- She was nervous during the job interview, which felt like an interrogation.
- After his arrest, he was subjected to a lengthy police interrogation.
- The documentary featured an interrogation of the company's environmental policies.
- The suspect's lawyer was present throughout the custodial interrogation to ensure his rights were protected.
- Her thesis involves a rigorous interrogation of the underlying assumptions in classical economic theory.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a ROGUE being questioned by the INTER-national police. INTER-ROGUE-ATION -> INTERROGATION.
Conceptual Metaphor
QUESTIONS ARE WEAPONS / TOOLS (e.g., 'bombarded with questions', 'sharp questioning'). KNOWLEDGE IS A HIDDEN OBJECT TO BE EXTRACTED (e.g., 'extract a confession', 'get the truth out of someone').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'допрос' only. 'Interrogation' is more formal/intense than general questioning ('расспросы'). The Russian 'интеррогация' is a very rare, direct loanword and not standard. For a simple 'question', use 'question' or 'query'.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'interogation' (missing one 'r').
- Using it for casual questioning among friends (register error).
- Confusing 'interrogation' (process) with 'question' (single instance).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'interrogation' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
An 'interview' is generally a neutral or cooperative exchange of questions and answers (e.g., job interview, media interview). An 'interrogation' implies an adversarial, pressured, or official context where the questioner seeks to obtain specific information, often from an unwilling subject.
Not necessarily. While it often has negative connotations (coercion, pressure), in contexts like academic criticism or journalistic investigation, it can be positive, meaning a deep, thorough, and critical examination.
The primary verb form is 'to interrogate'. 'Interrogation' is almost exclusively a noun. You 'conduct an interrogation' or 'are under interrogation'.
It is a metaphor from critical theory. It means to examine a text very closely and critically, asking probing questions about its assumptions, biases, gaps, and underlying meanings, rather than just reading it for surface content.
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