dissertation

noun

dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdi-sər-ˈtā-shən 

: an extended usually written treatment of a subject

specifically : one submitted for a doctorate

wrote her dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet

dissertational

ˌdi-sər-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of dissertation in a Sentence

He wrote his dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Parry, aged only 21, sketched out his theory in a master’s dissertation. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Pulitzer-Prize finalist Daniel Mason molds his new novel around Miles Krzelewski, married to a Stanford academic superstar, twelve years tardy on his dissertation. — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026

The story was one of many stories the husband had encountered in graduate school, where over the past fourteen years his dissertation topic had drifted -- geographically, chronologically, thematically. — ABC News, 7 July 2026

Public Luxury is less a dissertation on those tenets than an emotional response to the struggle to achieve it—mouths dripping with venom, eyes swollen with tears, hearts heavy with love. — Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Pitchfork, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dissertation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

dissertation

noun

dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdis-ər-ˈtā-shən 

: a long usually written treatment of a subject