Meaning & use
anthropology
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Meaning
noununcountable
The scientific study of humans, their origins, societies, cultures, languages, and biological development.
Grammar: No article in general statements: Anthropology studies culture; say a branch of anthropology for one part.
Patterns
- study anthropology
- cultural/biological anthropology
- a branch of anthropology
She studies anthropology with a focus on migration.
Anthropology helps us compare kinship systems across societies.
His anthropology thesis examines food rituals in coastal towns.
Common combinations
- cultural anthropology
- Cultural anthropology looks at beliefs, rituals, and everyday practices.
- biological anthropology
- Biological anthropology compares human evolution and primate behavior.
- study anthropology
- She decided to study anthropology after traveling overseas.
- anthropology of religion
- The anthropology of religion explores how communities make meaning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ethnology
- Ethnology compares particular cultures and ethnic groups, so it is narrower than anthropology as a whole field.
- sociology
- Sociology usually analyzes contemporary social behavior and institutions; anthropology often includes human origins, culture, and long-term change.
- archaeology
- Archaeology is one branch or close partner of anthropology in some countries, but it studies past material remains rather than all humanity.
Word family
- anthropologist noun
- A person who studies human societies, cultures, or origins.
- anthropological adjective
- Relating to anthropology or its methods.
- anthropologically adverb
- From an anthropological point of view.
Commonly confused: anthropology or archaeology? anthropology or ethnography?
anthropology vs archaeology
Archaeology reconstructs past lives from objects, buildings, and sites; anthropology is the wider study of humans and culture.
anthropology vs ethnography
Ethnography is fieldwork-based description of a particular group, not the whole discipline of anthropology.
Practice
Which field best matches this description: the scientific study of human societies, cultures, languages, and development?
Choose one answer.
Anthropology centers on humans and their cultures and development. Anatomy studies body structure, astronomy studies space, and accounting concerns financial records.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “anthropology”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.