Meaning & use
reconception
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableformalrare
The act of thinking about or forming something again in a new way.
Grammar: Usually uncountable and abstract; a count use ('a reconception') appears when you mean one particular new version.
Patterns
- a reconception of something
- the reconception of something
The redesign amounted to a complete reconception of the product.
Her book offers a radical reconception of how cities should grow.
nouncountableformalrare
A new or revised version of an idea, plan, or work.
Grammar: Countable here: you can say 'a reconception' or 'several reconceptions'.
Patterns
- a reconception of something
The film is a reconception of a classic novel.
Critics called the album a bold reconception of folk music.
Word forms
| plural | reconceptions |
|---|
Common combinations
- a radical reconception
- The team proposed a radical reconception of the whole service.
- a complete reconception
- What began as a repair became a complete reconception of the design.
- a reconception of something
- The essay is a reconception of national history.
- call for a reconception
- Changing habits call for a reconception of urban transport.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reinterpretation
- Close in meaning, but it stresses reading an existing thing differently rather than building a new concept.
- rethinking
- More everyday and less formal; it focuses on the process of thinking again rather than the resulting new idea.
- redesign
- Fits physical products and systems better; 'reconception' suits abstract ideas and works of art.
Word family
- conception noun
- the original act of forming an idea or plan
- conceive verb
- to form an idea or plan in your mind
- reconceive verb
- to think about or plan something again in a new way
Commonly confused: reconception or conception? reconception or misconception?
reconception vs conception
'Conception' is the first forming of an idea; 'reconception' is a second, new forming of it. Without the prefix re-, the idea of doing it again is lost.
reconception vs misconception
A misconception is a wrong belief; a reconception is a fresh way of thinking, not a mistaken one.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'reconception' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Reconception' is a noun meaning a new way of thinking about something, so it fits the architect's new design. Option 2 means a sudden idea (that would be 'realization'), option 3 uses it as a verb (the verb is 'reconceive'), and option 4 means an opinion or belief.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reconception”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.