intertextuality

noun

in·​ter·​tex·​tu·​al·​i·​ty ˌin-tər-ˌteks-chə-ˈwa-lə-tē How to pronounce intertextuality (audio)
plural intertextualities
: the complex interrelationship between a text and other texts taken as basic to the creation or interpretation of the text
intertextual adjective
intertextually adverb

Examples of intertextuality in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
But there is a new level of intertextuality among the three singers, whose hearty generosity and palpable eagerness to be together seem to temper the possibility of any one voice becoming dominant. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2023 And the web—particularly social media—provides countless opportunities for intertextuality, chances to recontextualize, retweet, repost, riposte. WIRED, 3 Feb. 2023 Øyehaug’s dizzyingly inventive fictions are suffused with uncanny observations about the natural world and a pervasive, tongue-in-cheek intertextuality. The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2023 The specific linguistic mechanism at play when fans bat around Swift quotes is called intertextuality—basically, taking quotes and bringing them into new context, like a subreddit or a Senate hearing. WIRED, 3 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

French intertextualité, from inter- + textuel textual + -ité -ity

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intertextuality was in 1972

Dictionary Entries Near intertextuality

Cite this Entry

“Intertextuality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intertextuality. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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