presupposition: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, Academic
Quick answer
What does “presupposition” mean?
Something assumed or taken for granted in advance as a necessary condition for an argument, action, or belief.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Something assumed or taken for granted in advance as a necessary condition for an argument, action, or belief.
A tacit or implicit background belief that is required for a statement, question, or action to make sense or have meaning. In philosophy of language and linguistics, it refers to an implication that remains constant even when the statement is negated.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or syntactic differences. The concept and its linguistic application are identical across varieties.
Connotations
Neutral, technical term in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both varieties, confined primarily to academic, philosophical, and linguistic contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “presupposition” in a Sentence
presupposition that + clausepresupposition of + NPpresupposition about + NPVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “presupposition” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- This theory presupposes a rational actor.
- Your question presupposes I was there, which I wasn't.
American English
- The model presupposes unlimited resources.
- You can't just presuppose everyone agrees with you.
adjective
British English
- The presuppositional framework of the debate was flawed.
- It was a presuppositional error.
American English
- We need to examine the presuppositional content.
- His argument had a presuppositional weakness.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might appear in high-level strategy discussions: 'The merger plan rests on the questionable presupposition of continued market growth.'
Academic
Very common in linguistics, philosophy, semantics, pragmatics, and critical theory: 'The author deconstructs the ideological presuppositions of the text.'
Everyday
Very rare. Would be replaced by 'assumption': 'You're working on the presupposition that I'll say yes, but I might not.'
Technical
Core term in formal semantics and pragmatics, referring to implications that survive negation: 'The sentence "John stopped smoking" carries the presupposition that John once smoked.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “presupposition”
Strong
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “presupposition”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “presupposition”
- Using it as a fancy synonym for 'assumption' in everyday conversation, making speech sound stilted.
- Confusing it with 'prerequisite' (a required prior condition) or 'implication' (something suggested).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In casual use, they are often synonyms. Technically, a presupposition is a specific type of assumption that is linguistically encoded and remains constant under negation, often serving as a background condition for an utterance to be appropriate.
Yes. The verb 'stop' is a classic presupposition trigger. The sentence 'Mary stopped running' presupposes 'Mary was running before'. This holds even in the negative: 'Mary didn't stop running' still presupposes she was running before.
It is a core technical term in linguistics (especially semantics and pragmatics), philosophy of language, logic, and critical discourse analysis.
Generally, no. It is a formal, academic word. In everyday contexts, 'assumption', 'belief', or 'idea' are more natural and widely understood choices.
Something assumed or taken for granted in advance as a necessary condition for an argument, action, or belief.
Presupposition is usually formal, academic in register.
Presupposition: in British English it is pronounced /ˌpriː.sʌp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌpriː.səp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think PRE-SUPPOSITION: a SUPPOSITION (an assumption) you make PRE- (beforehand), as a prerequisite.
Conceptual Metaphor
UNDERLYING FOUNDATION (A presupposition is the foundation upon which an argument is built), BACKGROUND CANVAS (The main claim is painted on the canvas of its presuppositions).
Practice
Quiz
In pragmatics, what happens to a presupposition when the sentence containing it is negated?