When you talk about the composition of something, you are referring to the way in which its various parts are put together and arranged.
Television has transformed the size and composition of audiences. [+ of]
Forests vary greatly in composition from one part of the country to another.
2. countable noun
The compositions of a composer, painter, or other artist are the works of art that they have produced.
Mozart's compositions are undoubtedly amongst the world's greatest.
Synonyms: creation, work, piece, production More Synonyms of composition
3. countable noun
A composition is a piece of written work that children write at school.
4. uncountable noun
Composition is the technique or skill involved in creating a work of art.
He taught the piano, organ and composition.
The course is designed to help students with colour and composition.
5. uncountable noun
Composition is the act of composing something such as a piece of music or a poem.
These plays are arranged in their order of composition.
Synonyms: production, creation, making, fashioning More Synonyms of composition
More Synonyms of composition
composition in British English
(ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən)
noun
1.
the act of putting together or making up by combining parts or ingredients
2.
something formed in this manner or the resulting state or quality; a mixture
3.
the parts of which something is composed or made up; constitution
4.
a work of music, art, or literature
5.
the harmonious arrangement of the parts of a work of art in relation to each other and to the whole
6.
a piece of writing undertaken as an academic exercise in grammatically acceptable writing; an essay
7. printing
the act or technique of setting up type
8. linguistics
the formation of compound words
9. logic
the fallacy of inferring that the properties of the part are also true of the whole, as every member of the team has won a prize, so the team will win a prize
10.
a.
a settlement by mutual consent, esp a legal agreement whereby the creditors agree to accept partial payment of a debt in full settlement
b.
the sum so agreed
11. chemistry
the nature and proportions of the elements comprising a chemical compound
Derived forms
compositional (ˌcompoˈsitional)
adjective
compositionally (ˌcompoˈsitionally)
adverb
Word origin
C14: from Old French, from Latin compositus; see composite, -ion
composition in American English
(ˌkɑmpəˈzɪʃən)
noun
1.
the act of composing, or putting together a whole by combining parts
; specif.,
a.
the putting together of words, esp. in a correct and effective way; art of writing
b.
the creation of musical works
2.
the makeup of a thing or person; aggregate of ingredients or qualities and manner of their combination; constitution
3.
that which is composed
; specif.,
a.
a mixture of several parts or ingredients
b.
a musical work
Mozart's compositions for string quartet
c.
an exercise in writing done as schoolwork
4.
an arrangement of the parts of a work of art so as to form a unified, harmonious whole
5.
an agreement, or settlement, often by compromise, as by the creditors of a potential bankrupt
6.
the state or quality of being composite
7. Linguistics
the device or process of forming compounds from two or more base morphemes
see also affixation
8. Printing
the work or skill of setting matter for printing
Derived forms
compositional (ˌcompoˈsitional)
adjective
Word origin
ME composicioun < L compositio, a putting together < compositus: see composite
Examples of 'composition' in a sentence
composition
It enhances the sense that one is seeing the entire composition in one marvellous gulp.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Theories included ocean warming and changing chemical ocean compositions.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The place where students learn the skill of defining an audience is normally in composition courses.
Porush, David A Short Guide to Writing About Science (1995)
Yet the composition of each team is the source of more controversy.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Again this was essentially a critical work rather than a piece of constructive composition.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
These terms became staples of the language of musical theory and composition.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The two forms have the same chemical composition.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He is working on a clarinet sonata as a part of his studies in music composition.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Perhaps no other factor is more crucial than the composition of the team.
Christianity Today (2000)
No other musical composition can have had so many performances as this original chime.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In selecting his subjects he looks for the way strong light defines the shapes and colours in a composition.
Bulgin, Sally Acrylics Masterclass (1994)
The movement of sports stars around the world has led to a transformation in the composition of national teams.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
His original compositions make up the film's score.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The rover's instruments will determine the chemical composition of the powder.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
So are her books, in which the complexity of a geometric composition evolves from one page to the next.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Your professor may ask you to keep a journal just so that you will have additional writing practice while you are in a composition course.
Bachmann, Susan (editor) & Barth, Melinda Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)
Their endeavour also sheds a wider light on the role of women in classical music composition, both historical and contemporary.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We have to write compositions on our field afternoons and I write the best ones.
LM Montgomery Anne of Green Gables (1872)
You can search by colour, composition, leaf shape and flowering period.
The Sun (2013)
Only one composition here, the biggest, is convincing.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
After that, her parental duties began to affect her music-making and further albums contained fewer original compositions and more covers.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
All these would make a coherent composition where colour and form would carry the underlying theme in flowering splendour from May until August.
Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)
Parents pay a sliding scale of fees according to their means, and as a result, the social composition of the schools is transformed.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Quotations
At school, composition tests your stamina, whereas translation requires intelligence. But in later life you can scoff at those who did well in compositionGustave FlaubertThe Dictionary of Received Ideas
In other languages
composition
British English: composition /ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/ NOUN
The composition of something is the things that it consists of and the way that they are arranged.
Look at the composition of Saturday's team.
American English: composition
Arabic: تَرْكِيب
Brazilian Portuguese: composição
Chinese: 构成成分
Croatian: sastav
Czech: skladba
Danish: komposition
Dutch: compositie
European Spanish: composición
Finnish: koostaminen
French: composition
German: Komposition
Greek: σύνθεση
Italian: composizione
Japanese: 構成
Korean: 구성
Norwegian: komposisjon
Polish: kompozycja budowa
European Portuguese: composição
Romanian: compoziție
Russian: состав
Latin American Spanish: composición
Swedish: komposition
Thai: การจัดวางองค์ประกอบ
Turkish: beste
Ukrainian: склад
Vietnamese: sự tập hợp
Chinese translation of 'composition'
composition
(kɔmpəˈzɪʃən)
n
(u) (= make-up)
[of thing]组(組)成 (zǔchéng)
[of substance]构(構)成成分 (gòuchéng chéngfèn)
[of group]结(結)构(構) (jiégòu)
(c) (= essay) 作文 (zuòwén) (篇, piān)
(c/u) (Mus) 作品 (zuòpǐn) (件, jiàn)
1 (noun)
Definition
the things or parts which make up a whole
Materials of different composition absorb and reflect light differently.
Synonyms
design
The pictures are based on simple geometric designs.
form
the sustained narrative form of the novel
structure
The chemical structure of this particular molecule is very unusual.
make-up
the chemical make-up of the atmosphere
organization
the internal organization of the department
arrangement
an imaginative flower arrangement
constitution
a small research team looking into the chemical constitution of coal
formation
He was flying in formation with seven other jets.
layout
He tried to recall the layout of the farmhouse.
configuration
The flow of water follows the configuration of the rock strata.
2 (noun)
Definition
a work of music, art, or literature
Bach's compositions are undoubtedly among the greatest ever written.
Synonyms
creation
work
In my opinion, this is Rembrandt's greatest work.
piece
an orchestral piece
production
the apparent lack of skill in the production of much new modern art
opus
She couldn't find a publisher for her latest opus.
masterpiece
This book is a masterpiece.
chef-d'oeuvre (French)
This set of lithographs is the chef-d'oeuvre of the Polish artist Rojankowski.
3 (noun)
Definition
a written exercise
Write a composition on the subject `What I Did on My Holidays'.
Synonyms
essay
He was asked to write an essay about his home town.
writing
Althusser's writings are focused mainly on France.
study
the first study of English children's attitudes
exercise
treatise
a lengthy treatise on prison reform
literary work
4 (noun)
Definition
the harmonious arrangement of the parts of a work of art
Let us study the composition of this painting.
Synonyms
arrangement
balance
proportion
an artist with a special feel for colour and proportion
harmony
the ordered harmony of the universe
symmetry
the incredible beauty and symmetry of a snowflake
concord
A climate of concord and tolerance prevails among the two communities.
consonance (formal)
placing
5 (noun)
Definition
the act of putting together or composing
These plays are arranged in order of their composition.
Synonyms
production
two companies involved in the production of the steel pipes
creation
The bathroom is entirely my own creation.
making
a book about the making of the movie
fashioning
formation
The formation of my character and temperament.
putting together
invention
fifty years after the invention of the printing press
compilation
formulation
Quotation
At school, composition tests your stamina, whereas translation requires intelligence. But in later life you can scoff at those who did well in composition [Gustave Flaubert – The Dictionary of Received Ideas]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of chef-d'oeuvre
This set of lithographs is the chef-d'oeuvre of the Polish artist Rojankowski.
Synonyms
masterpiece,
tour de force,
magnum opus,
masterwork,
crowning achievement,
brainchild
in the sense of concord
Definition
peaceful relations between nations
A climate of concord and tolerance prevails among the two communities.
Synonyms
harmony,
accord,
peace,
agreement,
concert,
friendship,
consensus,
goodwill,
unison,
good understanding,
rapport,
unanimity,
amity (formal),
consonance
in the sense of configuration
Definition
the form or outline of such an arrangement
The flow of water follows the configuration of the rock strata.