Apedia

Didactic Meaning Instructive Teach Moral Instruction Children Intended

Word didactic
Date June 5, 2021
Type adjective
Syllables dye-DAK-tik
Etymology Didaktikós is a Greek word that means "apt at teaching." It comes from didáskein, meaning "to teach." Something didactic does just that: it teaches or instructs. Didactic conveyed that neutral meaning when it was first borrowed in the 17th century, and still does; a didactic piece of writing is one that is meant to be instructive as well as artistic. Parables are generally didactic because they aim to teach a moral lesson. Didactic now sometimes has negative connotations, too, however. Something described as "didactic" is often overburdened with instruction to the point of being dull. Or it might be pompously instructive or moralistic.
Examples Many of the shows on the channel are didactic, teaching children about such things as the importance of recycling, exercise, and honesty through the actions of animated characters.

"[Beverly] Cleary frowned on the moralizing, didactic themes that dominated children's literature in the first half of the 20th century. She set out not to impart wisdom but instead to portray children at play, and to capture their dialogue and the ways they sometimes venture into an adult world beyond their full comprehension." — Harrison Smith and Becky Krystal, The Tampa Bay (Florida) Times, 27 Mar. 2021
Definition 1 a : designed or intended to teach
b : intended to convey instruction and information as well as pleasure and entertainment
2 : making moral observations

Tags: wordoftheday::adjective

Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.

Next card: Ragman roll rigmarole selected century complex ritualistic mcdonald's

Previous card: Glean bit gather meaning grain-gathering sense find reapers

Up to card list: Word of the Day