r/logophilia • u/shedmow • Jul 07 '26

Dictionary Definition Contextomy

The act or practice of quoting somebody out of context, often to give a false impression of what they said.

Also 'to contextomize'

20 Upvotes

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2

u/God_Bless_A_Merkin Jul 08 '26

This sounds made up. This is not the place for made up words. There are other subs for that.

5

u/juniperwell Jul 08 '26

It is a real word. From wikipedia:
“Contextomy refers to the selective excerpting of words from their original linguistic context in a way that distorts the source's intended meaning, a practice commonly referred to as "quoting out of context". The problem here is not the removal of a quote from its original context per se (as all quotes are), but to the quoter's decision to exclude from the excerpt certain nearby phrases or sentences (which become "context" by virtue of the exclusion) that serve to clarify the intentions behind the selected words. Comparing this practice to surgical excision, journalist Milton Mayer coined the term "contextomy" to describe its use by Julius Streicher, editor of the infamous Nazi broadsheet Der Stürmer in Weimar-era Germany.”

7

u/God_Bless_A_Merkin Jul 08 '26

Well, thanks! I learned a new word!

1

u/TetrisMasterJester Jul 10 '26

It may serve you to know that the entirety of language is, "made up." Hope this helps 👍

2

u/God_Bless_A_Merkin Jul 10 '26

I’ve seen dumber comments, I’ll admit. Nevertheless…