Meaning & use
Presupposition
Last updated
A belief or assumption taken for granted before the main reasoning or discussion begins.
See it in a sentence
The argument rests on the presupposition that all people act in their own self-interest.
Linguists study how a sentence's presupposition can differ from what it directly states.
A note on using this word
In linguistics, a "presupposition" is background information implied by a sentence that remains true even if the sentence is negated, e.g., "John stopped smoking" presupposes he once smoked.
Words with a similar meaning
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