You can also pick a concept like “Success,” “Friendship,” or “Faith. ” Concepts like “Pain,” “Loss,” or “Death” are also good options.
You can try taking a concrete object and using a similar word to make it more open-ended. For example, the word “house” is concrete and obvious. But the word “home” is more open-ended and allows you to create your own definition of the word.
For example, you may choose a word like “success” because you are familiar with the word and feel you may have a lot to say about what it means to be successful or to feel success in your life.
For example, you may choose a word like “pain” because you feel there are a variety of meanings for the word based on who you talk to and how they experience “pain” in their lives.
For example, if you look up the word “justice” in the dictionary, you may get this definition: “noun, the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness. ” You can then determine that “justice” is a noun and can be compared to other terms like “righteousness” and “moral rightness. ”
For example, you may look up the word “justice” in an online encyclopedia that focuses on philosophy or law. You may then find information on Western theories of justice and how it became an important concept in Western history and the legal system.
Look on academic search engines like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and ProQuest for scholarly articles. You can also look for educational videos that have been made about the word on YouTube and other video websites.
You may ask them interview questions like: “What comes to mind when you think of the word?” “How do you feel about the word on a personal level?” “How do you interact or deal with the word?” “What does the word mean to you?” Take notes or record the interviews so you can use them as sources in your essay.
For example, you may write: “Justice, a quality or trait where you act in a morally right way. ” Or you may write: “Justice, a concept in the legal system where the fair or equitable thing is done, as in ‘justice has been served. ’”
Your thesis statement should appear in the introduction and conclusion section of your essay.
For example, you may write, “According to the Oxford Dictionary, justice is a noun, and it means: the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness. ”
For example, you may have a thesis statement like, “According to my research and my personal experiences, justice is a quality or trait where you act in a morally correct way. ”
For example, you may write, “Justice comes from the Latin jus, which means right or law. It is commonly used concept in politics, in the legal system, and in philosophy. ”
For example, you may discuss how justice works as a noun or an idea in politics, the legal system, and in philosophy. You may also discuss what the “quality of being just” means in our society.
For example, you may talk about how justice is similar and also not quite the same as words like “righteousness” and “equitableness. ” You can also discuss words that mean the opposite of the term you are defining. For example, you may contrast the word “justice” with the word “injustice” or “inequality. ”
For example, you may write, “On a personal level, I view justice as an essential concept” or “Based on my own experiences, I think justice is blind and often does not serve those who need it the most. ” You can also include personal experiences of the word based on interviews you conducted with others.
Make sure you follow your instructor’s preferred citation style, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago Style.
Look at the first sentence in each section of the paragraph to help you gather your main points. Include a last sentence that has a strong image or that describes a key phrase in your essay.
You should also check for any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors in the essay.
Be open to constructive criticism from others and take their feedback to heart. It will only make your essay better.
If there is a word count or a page count for the definition essay, make sure you meet it. Include a reference page at the end of the essay and a cover page at the beginning of the essay, if required.
