concentration
kon-sun-TRAY-shun
/ˌkɑːn.sənˈtreɪ.ʃən/
The action or power of focusing one's full mental attention on a single subject.
Represents conscious, deliberate directing of willpower to stay centered on a task.
The story behind the word. Concentration entered French and English in the 17th century, combining Latin 'con-' (together) with 'centre' (from Greek 'kentron', meaning sharp point or center of a circle). It literally means bringing all thoughts together into one single point.
Word relationships
- focus: Focus is the point or state of clarity; concentration emphasizes the effort of gathering thought together.
- distraction: Distraction is the scattering of attention away from a central point.
Commonly confused with
- consecration: Consecration means making something sacred; concentration means gathering focus or mass.
Word family
- concentrate (verb): To focus mental energy.
- concentrated (adjective): Gathered closely together; intense.
Collocations
- deep concentration
- lapses in concentration
- require concentration
- intense concentration
Idioms & expressions
- lose one's concentration
Example sentences
- "Solving complex mathematics problems requires sustained concentration and freedom from noise." Education
Memory hook
Bring all CON-scious thoughts to the CENTER. Gathering thoughts to one center.
When not to use
Do not use to describe involuntary obsession or frantic panic.
Fun facts
- In chemistry, 'concentration' shares the exact same root history, describing bringing more solute particles into a central volume.
Related words
Explore more words
purposeful, concerted, deliberate, assiduous, diligent, intensify
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