analysis
noun
anal·y·sis
ə-ˈna-lə-səs 
plural analyses
ə-ˈna-lə-ˌsēz
1
a
: a detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features : a thorough study
a careful analysis of the problem
b
: a statement, usually in writing, explaining the results of such an examination
published a detailed analysis of each candidate's platform
2
: separation of a whole into its component parts
the grammatical analysis of a sentence
3
a
: the identification or separation of ingredients of a substance
performed/conducted a chemical analysis of the soil
Growers can then send a wine sample to a lab for analysis …—
Ula Chrobak and Katarina Zimmer
Ula Chrobak and Katarina Zimmer
b
: a statement of the constituents of a mixture
… saw a chemical analysis of what was in the … soil amendment.—Parish Howard
Parish Howard4
mathematics
a
obsolete
: proof of a mathematical proposition by assuming the result and deducing a valid statement by a series of reversible steps
b(1)
: a branch of mathematics concerned mainly with limits, continuity, and infinite series
(2)
: calculus sense 1b
The method of indivisibles … led to the still more valuable invention of the fluxional analysis.—T. Young
T. Young5
: psychoanalysis
a patient who is in/undergoing analysis
Psychoanalytic therapy … is a … less intense version of early Freudian analysis.—Psychology Today
Psychology Today6
a
: a method in philosophy of resolving complex expressions into simpler or more basic ones
b
: clarification of an expression by an elucidation of its use in discourse
7
linguistics
: the use of function words instead of inflectional forms as a characteristic device of a language
Traditionally, the history of English grammar has been described in terms of the shift from synthesis to analysis, i.e. from a language which expresses the relationship between words by means of inflectional endings joined to lexical stems to one which maps such relationships by means of function words such as prepositions.—Laurel Brinton and Alexander Bergs
Laurel Brinton and Alexander BergsExamples of analysis in a Sentence
His analyses expose hidden fractures with the clarity of an X-ray, and his rhetorical skill, though modulated in a journalistic style, owes much to the give and take of Euripides' crisp dialogue.
—G. W. Bowersock, New York Review of Books, 6 Nov. 2008
In order to depict economic decisions mathematically, economists needed to assume that human behavior is both rational and predictable. They imagined a representative human, Homo economicus, endowed with consistent preferences, stable moods, and an enviable ability to make only rational decisions. This sleight of hand yielded some theories that had genuine predictive value, but economists were obliged to exclude from their analyses many phenomena that didn't fit the … framework, such as stock-market bubbles, drug addiction, and compulsive shopping.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 18 Sept. 2006
Thus little more than a month before the convention was due to assemble in Philadelphia, James Madison fashioned a powerful and comprehensive analysis of the problems of federalism and republicanism.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Thanks to some pioneering studies, and an increasing body of editions, translations, and detailed analyses, we now have a good general picture of the spiritual culture of late-medieval women on the Continent, especially in the Low Countries and Germany.
—Nicholas Watsons, Speculum, July 1993
a scientific analysis of the data
make a chemical analysis of the soil
a detailed analysis of the bone structure of horses
performing chemical analysis of the soil
The newspaper printed an analysis of each candidate's positions.
That's not a bad analysis of the situation.
It's a problem that requires careful analysis.
He has been in analysis for many years.
G. W. Bowersock, New York Review of Books, 6 Nov. 2008
In order to depict economic decisions mathematically, economists needed to assume that human behavior is both rational and predictable. They imagined a representative human, Homo economicus, endowed with consistent preferences, stable moods, and an enviable ability to make only rational decisions. This sleight of hand yielded some theories that had genuine predictive value, but economists were obliged to exclude from their analyses many phenomena that didn't fit the … framework, such as stock-market bubbles, drug addiction, and compulsive shopping.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 18 Sept. 2006
Thus little more than a month before the convention was due to assemble in Philadelphia, James Madison fashioned a powerful and comprehensive analysis of the problems of federalism and republicanism.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Thanks to some pioneering studies, and an increasing body of editions, translations, and detailed analyses, we now have a good general picture of the spiritual culture of late-medieval women on the Continent, especially in the Low Countries and Germany.
—Nicholas Watsons, Speculum, July 1993
a scientific analysis of the data
make a chemical analysis of the soil
a detailed analysis of the bone structure of horses
performing chemical analysis of the soil
The newspaper printed an analysis of each candidate's positions.
That's not a bad analysis of the situation.
It's a problem that requires careful analysis.
He has been in analysis for many years.
Recent Examples on the Web
And analysis from our powerhouse roundtable.
—ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
One 2024 analysis found that nearly half of credit reports may contain errors.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
While historians long theorized that foul play may have played a role in the death of the ruler, more recent DNA analysis suggests that Tutankhamen likely died from a combination of malaria and a bone disorder, per Live Science.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Some analysis suggests that the number of accidents has increased in recent years possibly due to more people heading to backcountry areas immediately after fresh snowfall.
—NPR, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for analysis
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
One 2024 analysis found that nearly half of credit reports may contain errors.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
While historians long theorized that foul play may have played a role in the death of the ruler, more recent DNA analysis suggests that Tutankhamen likely died from a combination of malaria and a bone disorder, per Live Science.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Some analysis suggests that the number of accidents has increased in recent years possibly due to more people heading to backcountry areas immediately after fresh snowfall.
—NPR, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for analysis
Cite this Entry
“Analysis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/analysis. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
analysis
noun
anal·y·sis
ə-ˈnal-ə-səs
plural analyses
-ə-ˌsēz
1
a
: an examination of a whole to discover its elements and their relations
b
: a statement of such an analysis
2
: an explanation of the nature and meaning of something
analysis of the news
3
: the identification or separation of the parts of a substance
4
Etymology
derived from Greek, from analyein "to break up," from ana- "up" and lyein "to loosen"
Medical Definition
analysis
noun
anal·y·sis
ə-ˈnal-ə-səs
plural analyses
-ˌsēz
1
: separation of a whole into its component parts
2
a
: the identification or separation of ingredients of a substance
b
: a statement of the constituents of a mixture
3
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