component meaning and definition

COMPONENT noun

Definition of component (noun)

1. an abstract part of something
   • "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech"
   • synonyms: constituent, element, factor, ingredient
2. something determined in relation to something that includes it
   • "he wanted to feel a part of something bigger than himself"; "I read a portion of the manuscript"; "the smaller component is hard to reach"; "the animal constituent of plankton"
   • synonyms: component part, constituent, part, portion
3. an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system
   • "spare components for cars"; "a component or constituent element of a system"
   • synonyms: constituent, element