# compositionality

CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/compositionality
Updated: 2026-09-28

## Definition

the principle that the meaning of a whole sentence or thought is built directly from the meanings of its individual parts.

For teachers: the semantic principle (Frege's principle) stating that the meaning of a complex expression is determined by the meanings of its constituent parts and its syntactic rules.

## Examples

- Language relies on compositionality so that combining the words red and apple immediately creates a clear mental picture.
- Testing whether visual AI exhibits true compositionality involves asking it to render a blue cube inside a red pyramid.
- Neural networks often rely on superficial statistical associations rather than systematic compositionality, causing brittle failures on novel compound commands.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.