Meaning & use
reconstruction
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of building again something that was damaged or destroyed.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or without an article: a reconstruction of the bridge; the reconstruction of the city took years.
Patterns
- reconstruction of something
- under reconstruction
The reconstruction of the cathedral took over twenty years.
The city is undergoing reconstruction after the earthquake.
They planned a complete reconstruction of the old theater.
nouncountable
A thing that has been built again or made to look like the original.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of': a reconstruction of the original building.
Patterns
- a reconstruction of something
The museum displayed a reconstruction of the ancient village.
This is a reconstruction of the first airplane.
The film is a reconstruction of events leading to the war.
nounproperAmerican
The period after the American Civil War when the Southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union.
Grammar: Usually capitalized: Reconstruction. Often used with 'the'.
Patterns
- the Reconstruction
- during Reconstruction
Reconstruction lasted from 1865 to 1877.
Many laws passed during Reconstruction affected the South for decades.
Historians study the social changes of Reconstruction.
Word forms
| plural | reconstructions |
|---|
Common combinations
- post-war reconstruction
- The country received international aid for post-war reconstruction.
- reconstruction work
- Reconstruction work on the highway will continue through the summer.
- under reconstruction
- The main library is under reconstruction and will reopen next year.
- a reconstruction of
- They built a reconstruction of the original 18th-century ship.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rebuilding
- Similar but often used for physical structures; reconstruction can also refer to abstract things like a theory or a country's economy.
- restoration
- Restoration often means returning something to its original condition, while reconstruction may involve building something new that resembles the original.
Opposites
Word family
- reconstruct verb
- To build again or recreate.
- reconstructive adjective
- Relating to reconstruction, especially in surgery.
- reconstructible adjective
- Able to be reconstructed.
Commonly confused: reconstruction or construction? reconstruction or reconstructionism?
reconstruction vs construction
Construction is the act of building something new; reconstruction is building something again after it was damaged or destroyed.
reconstruction vs reconstructionism
Reconstructionism is a movement or theory, especially in Judaism or philosophy, not the act of rebuilding.
Practice
The old church is currently ______ reconstruction after the fire.
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'under reconstruction' means in the process of being rebuilt. Other prepositions do not form this common expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reconstruction”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.