Writing essays is part of student life, providing the student with the means to prove a point and to express opinions clearly. True, students don’t enjoy writing these essays but there is a lot of ‘how to write a definition essay’ help online. Essay writing is important, and it pays to get it right as it assists students with their assessment.
What is a Definition Essay?
There are different types of definition essays and their goal is to explain the meaning of the word or phrase in far more detail than what a dictionary could do. When you write your definition essay, make the title interesting, and connect it to the theme of the essay.
The definition essay example is helpful as the essay can be deceivingly difficult to write. The definition obviously will need to be thorough and lengthy, so that means choosing a topic or word with ‘substance’- one that has enough information about it to analyze.
You could say that an evaluate definition essay is similar to these definition essays as they also offer a judgement on a certain subject according to criteria. These essays are a kind of argument that provides evidence to justify a writer’s definition or opinion on a subject.
Definition Essay Outline
Key to a winning definition essay is understanding what you’ll be dealing with in the essay. It needs to be made up of reliable facts and to follow certain rules pertinent to this kind of essay.
With a definition essay outline your essay is better and more logically structured. The outline will describe how each part of the essay needs to have certain information under the introduction, the body paragraphs and the conclusion.
Definition Essay Topics
It can be a love definition essay, an assess definition essay, a conclusion definition essay or something else. Some specific terms can be easily defined as they just have a single meaning, but there are abstract terms that require a broader description. Choosing an abstract word with a complex meaning gives you more information to explore.
Apart from being complex, the word should also have different meanings to different people, and a perfect example of this is the word ‘gay’. It used to mean happy and still does, but it is scarcely used to describe a happy person these days as it better used to describe homosexuals.
Say for example that you choose a success definition essay – this is a word that has different connotations for different people. One person might look at success as having worked hard, realized your ideals and achieved monetary wealth and success.
Another person might argue and say that success isn’t built on wealth. For them the successful person is the one that faces disappointments, poverty and hardships with a steady, calm spirit.
An extended definition essay must introduce a person’s point of view on a chosen term and then it must be followed by a comprehensive description of its structure and function.
Some extended definition essay examples are:
- Laziness: doesn’t make their bed in the morning?
- Noise: can it harm you?
- New Zealand: is it a volcanic hotspot?
- Fast foods: are they killing us?
- Human over population: root of all evils?
- Depression: why are young kids dealing with it?
- Heroism: who is looked upon as a hero?
- Personality: can a good personality be cultivated?
- Hack attacks: is it threatening e-commerce
- Impotence: just a case of stress?
- Success: how is it measured?
- Poverty: too many children?
- Role Models: so they have the same standards as yesteryear?
- The Perfect Diet: is there really one?
- Migrants: their economic impact
- Survival: possible with diminishing resources?
- Cheating: the way to get ahead in class?
- Animal Cruelty: stopping it for good.
- Internet: it’s influence on kids
- Death penalty: the pros and cons
How to write a definition essay requires picking any one of these terms or something else you’re familiar with, and then to define it.
Look in a dictionary and make sure you understand the term. Check out scholarly or academic articles that discuss the particular word in detail. Also, look for academic websites that address the word.
You can even speak to family members about the word and get a personal perspective on it and what they think it means. You can even take notes on their replies so you can use them as sources in your essay.
Different Meanings of one Word
A hook definition essay or paragraph grabs the readers’ attention and makes them want to continue reading. To build a ‘hook’ you need to establish a connection between your readers and your idea.
Writing an extended definition essay isn’t that much different to writing a definition essay. As for an extended definition essay, you may write it in a bit more general way. Select an extended definition topic with substance such as the word ‘negativity’ a controversial word which some people refer to as being ‘realistic’.
Make a short extended definition outline. Then follow the usual essay structure –
- Introduction
- Body of three paragraphs
- Conclusion
Writing improves communication skills, allowing the student to relate their own thoughts. A definition essay explains what a term means. A good essay will be well researched, and draw on examples so as to define something properly.
Writing a definition essay will require you to –
- Select a term that you want to define. Make sure it’s a term that can easily be researched.
- Look up different definitions of the term and do research.
- Write an outline so you’re guided as to what to write.
- Write your essay and edit it once its done.
Definition Essay Examples and Choosing the Right Word
Read the Oxford English dictionary definition of the word so that you can see what the official definition is. If you’re battling with writer’s block and can’t seem to get started, there are definition essay examples online.
There are also ghostwriting and research services who offer a professional academic writing service, and they can write the entire essay for you.
Whether you write the essay or a writing service writes it for you, conclude definition means to ‘bring or come to an end’. It means it is time to submit your essay and to be confident of what the outcome will be.
