meta
meta — adjective
1. describes a book, film, or other creative work that draws attention to itself, i
describes a book, film, or other creative work that draws attention to itself, its own making, or the medium it belongs to
Élise's play includes a scene where the actors argue with the playwright, making it wonderfully meta.
self-referential structure: art about its own creation
The documentary about making the documentary felt too meta for most viewers.
Sahil wrote a meta novel whose narrator keeps commenting on the act of writing.
Critics described the film as deeply meta because its plot mirrors the process of filmmaking.
- self-referential
more formal and academic
- self-aware
broader, not limited to creative works
- reflexive
more technical, common in literary theory
- straightforward
lacking self-reference, direct
- conventional
following genre norms without comment
用法筆記
Common in discussions of film, television, and literature. Some consider it informal, but it is widely accepted in modern cultural criticism.
常見錯誤
2. describes a creative work that deliberately shows awareness of the rules, habits
describes a creative work that deliberately shows awareness of the rules, habits, or clichés of its own genre or category
The horror film felt meta because the characters kept discussing typical horror movie rules.
genre awareness: characters discuss genre conventions
Shirin thought the zombie film was meta because the survivors kept arguing about zombie movie rules.
Lan wrote a meta detective story where the thief leaves notes about how mysteries work.
The director's new Western is meta — the cowboys argue about old Western films they have seen.
- genre-savvy
informal, common in internet culture
- self-conscious
more formal, used in literary analysis
- conventional
follows genre rules without question
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on awareness of genre conventions (e.g., characters in a scary movie discussing how scary movies work), whereas sense 1 involves the work referring to itself or its own medium.
常見錯誤
meta — idiom
meta — prefix
1. used before a word to show that the idea of change or transformation is involved
used before a word to show that the idea of change or transformation is involved
A caterpillar going through metamorphosis changes completely into a butterfly.
meta- meaning 'change': metamorphosis = change of shape
Metabolism keeps your body running by changing the food you eat into energy.
The students learned how metamorphosis transforms a tadpole into a frog.
When you eat a meal, your metabolism begins the work of turning it into fuel for your cells.
文法句型
meta- + noun (metamorphosis, metabolism)
meta- + adjective (metamorphic)
用法筆記
This is the original Greek meaning of meta-. It appears mostly in scientific terms describing natural processes of change.
2. used before a word to indicate that something goes beyond the usual range, bound
used before a word to indicate that something goes beyond the usual range, boundaries, or limits of a subject
Metaphysics asks questions that go beyond what science can test or measure.
meta- meaning 'beyond': metaphysics = beyond physics
Metacognition is the ability to think about your own thinking process.
Nellie studied metacognition to understand how people manage their own learning.
In comic books, meta-humans have abilities that go far beyond normal human limits.
文法句型
meta- + noun (metaphysics, metacognition)
用法筆記
Most common in academic vocabulary. Words formed with this prefix often name branches of inquiry that examine the foundations of a field (e.g., metaphysics examines the foundations of physics).
3. used before a word to describe something that examines, describes, or operates a
used before a word to describe something that examines, describes, or operates at a higher level than the topic or system itself
Metadata is data that describes other data, such as a photo's date and file size.
meta- meaning 'about': metadata = data about data
Metalinguistics is the study of language used to talk about language itself.
A metatheory provides a broader framework for understanding several smaller theories.
Programmers use metaprogramming to write code that creates or changes other code.
文法句型
meta- + noun (metadata, metatheory)
meta- + adjective (metalinguistic)
用法筆記
This is the sense most closely related to the adjective senses of 'meta' (self-referential and genre-aware). A 'meta-film' uses the idea of something describing or commenting on its own category.