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reductionist

[ ri-duhk-shuh-nist ]

adjective

  1. based on or explained by an analysis of the simplest or most basic factors of a complex phenomenon:

    A reductionist experiment is essential to isolating the impact of a single variable on the ecosystem as a whole.

  2. simplistic to the point of minimizing, obscuring, or distorting a complex idea, issue, or condition:

    Both stories describe the same reality, but your reductionist version fails to capture the full truth.



noun

  1. a person who believes that everything can be explained by reducing complex ideas or issues to their simplest component parts:

    To reductionists, all other worldviews are unscientific and sloppy, so they often choose to ignore evidence from observational studies.

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Other Words From

  • re·duc·tion·is·tic [ri-duhk-sh, uh, -, nis, -tik], adjective

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Word History and Origins

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