contextualism, also known as epistemic contextualism, is a philosophical current that emphasizes the importance of context in the interpretation of concepts and phenomena, particularly in epistemology, ethics and other fields.[1]​[2]​ According to contextualism, concepts such as "knowledge", "truth" or "reason" do not have a fixed or absolute meaning, but rather their interpretation depends on the context in which they are used.[1]​[2]​ Defenders of contextualism maintain that, in certain key aspects, these actions, statements or expressions can only be understood in relation to the context in which they occur.[3]​.

According to contextualist positions, philosophically controversial concepts such as “meaning P,” “knowing that P,” “having a reason for A,” and even “being authentic” or “being correct” acquire meaning only in a specific context. Some philosophers[2]​ argue that this dependence on context can lead to absolute relativism.[4]​.

In ethics, contextualist positions are usually linked to situational ethics or moral relativism.[5]​.

In architecture, contextualism refers to a design theory that seeks to harmonize modern construction types with the urban forms of a traditional city.[6]​.

In epistemology, contextualism addresses the context-sensitivity of the term “know.” Context-sensitive expressions are those that "express different propositions according to different contexts of use." For example, some terms like "I," "here," and "now" are generally considered context-sensitive. Although "I" has a constant linguistic meaning, its referent varies depending on the context. Similarly, epistemic contextualists argue that the term "know" is context-sensitive, expressing different relationships in different contexts.[7]​.

It is stated that neurophilosophy aims to contextualize.[8]​.