Analysis of The Definition of The Word "Belonging"

Meaning of words

If someone asked you what definition you would use for the word belonging, what would you say? Would you say the feeling of fitting in with people; would you say owning or possessing something; or would you say something else? The word “belonging” has several different meanings depending on when it is used. Often, the definition you choose for a word depends on the situation and context. Some definitions, however, may have a more powerful meaning than other definitions of the same word.

The meaning of a word changes depending on how it’s used. When a word is used in one scenario, it could mean one thing. When that same word is used in another scenario, it could mean something entirely different. For example, the word belonging could be used in the following sentence: Jeremy felt a sense of belonging with the other people in his robotics club. The same world could be also used in this sentence: Jackson stole a pencil belonging to Brendan. This is the same word as in the previous sample, however used in a completely different way. What definition you use for a certain word depends heavily on the context and where it is used.

What is an affiliation?

One definition of belonging is the feeling of fitting in with other people around you, like the way Reich uses the word. When you are around other people who have similar interests as you, you will feel a sense of belonging and feel included with the group. Often, if someone feels like they belong with a group of people, they will feel more comfortable and generally be happier than if they felt left out. This definition is similar to the definition that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives: to be a member of a club, organization, or set.

An example of belonging would be when a college student finds a group of people at lunch that are in the same major as him or her. Those people will probably have similar interests to the college student so he or she will have something in common with the other students. This common ground can lead to a sense of belonging to the student. This situation is similar to Reich’s use of the word where he says, “…one of humankind’s deepest needs is to belong”. He is referring to how people depend on things like family and community to survive and lead happier lives. This, however, is not the only definition for the word belong.

Another definition of belonging is to be the property or possession of; to be owned by. This definition is a more literal sense of the word and is extended from the word belong. This meaning of the word would be used when you’re talking about someone possessing an object or idea. An example of this use of the word would be “Ronald borrowed a computer belonging to Daniel.” This definition of belonging can be thought of as a synonym from possessing or owning. This definition has less of a powerful meaning than the first definition does.

I believe that the first definition for belonging, the one that Reich also uses in his book, is the strongest. This definition has more power behind it from its implications whereas the other definition just means owning something, a much less significant meaning. This definition is more likely to be used than the definition meaning possession since there are more synonyms for the second definition that can be used instead. The second definition is less needed because of these other synonyms for it, and therefore it has less power behind it as opposed to the first definition, which would be used more often due to its lack of synonyms.

Picking the right definition for a word when writing an essay, story, or any other papers is important. The way that you use your words in the writing can completely change the meaning and message of it. The same word can have several different meanings to it depending on when and where you use it. Belonging most significantly means the sense that a person belongs to a group of people. It may have other definitions for other use cases, but this one holds the most significance. Other definitions of this word have many synonyms that also describe the same thing, whereas this definition doesn’t have many synonyms to use in its place.

Works Cited

1. “Belong, v.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, 2019, Accessed 9 Sept. 2019, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belong.
2. “Belong, v.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2019, Accessed 8 Sept. 2019, https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/17506.
3. Reich, Robert B. The Common Good. Vintage Books, 2019.