Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To represent (an abstract concept) by a concrete or specific example: To provide a real-world, tangible instance or case that embodies a general idea, principle, or category.
   • To find or identify a concrete example of (something): To locate or demonstrate a specific occurrence or case that serves as evidence for a more general claim or category.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The teacher asked the students to instantiate the concept of "justice" with examples from recent news.
  • This particular case instantiates the legal principle we discussed last week.
  • The researcher tried to instantiate the proposed linguistic rule by finding real sentences that followed it.

Advanced Usage

• In Computing / Object-Oriented Programming: To create an object (an instance) from a class (a blueprint). This is a highly specific and common technical usage.
  • The program will instantiate a new Player object for each user who joins the game.
• In Philosophy and Logic: To show that a general statement is true by providing a specific case that satisfies its conditions.
  • To prove the theory was applicable, she needed to instantiate it with a historical event.

Variants and Related Words

• Instantiation (noun): The act or process of instantiating, or the specific example itself.
  • The sculpture was a perfect instantiation of the artist's aesthetic philosophy.
  • The instantiation of the template creates a unique document.

Synonyms

• Exemplify: To be a typical example of.
• Embody: To represent in a tangible or visible form.
• Illustrate: To explain or make clear by using examples.
• Demonstrate: To show clearly by giving proof or evidence.

Related Phrases

• To serve as an instantiation of: A more formal way to say "to be an example of."
  • This model serves as a clear instantiation of the proposed framework.

Verb

1. find an instance of (a word or particular usage of a word)
   • The linguists could not instantiate this sense of the noun that he claimed existed in a certain dialect
2. represent by an instance
   • This word instantiates the usage that the linguists claimed to be typical for a certain dialect