reify
Give concrete form
To reify is to treat something abstract as if it were concrete or real.
The term appears in academic and philosophical contexts: Critics argue that IQ tests reify intelligence, treating it as a fixed thing rather than a complex set of abilities.
To reify a concept is to give it more solidity than it warrants—turning a mental construct into something that seems to exist independently.
Become physically present
- objectifyTreat as mere thing
- externalizeExpress inwardly held feelings
- substantiateProve something is true
- actualizeMake concrete or real
embody · manifest · incarnate · solidify · crystallize · physicalize · instantiate · operationalize
Underlying essence or substance
- objectificationReducing humans to things
- abstractionDistilling to essential qualities
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- phenomenologyStudy of subjective experience
epistemology · metaphysics · essentialism · nominalism · idealism · transcendental · immaterial · notional
Create concrete example
- implementTool or enact
- serializePublish in successive parts
- objectTangible entity or aim
- classGrouping by shared traits
instance · prototype · constructor · factory · encapsulate · model · represent · data structure
materialize
Become physically present
- objectifyTreat as mere thing
- externalizeExpress inwardly held feelings
- substantiateProve something is true
actualize · embody · manifest · incarnate · solidify · crystallize · physicalize · instantiate · operationalize · formalize
hypostasis
Underlying essence or substance
- objectificationReducing humans to things
- abstractionDistilling to essential qualities
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
phenomenology · epistemology · metaphysics · essentialism · nominalism · idealism · transcendental · immaterial · notional · conceptualization
instantiate
Create concrete example
class · instance · prototype · constructor · factory · encapsulate · model · represent · data structure · schema
reifyabstract
Condensed version of text
dissolve · dematerialize · disembody · sublimate · etherealize
reifyproblematize
Challenge as assumption
relativize · historicize · denaturalize · critique · unmask