analysis

noun

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anal·y·sis | \ ə-ˈna-lə-səs

plural analyses\ ə-ˈna-lə-ˌsēz

Definition of analysis

1a : a detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features : a thorough study doing a careful analysis of the problem

b : a statement of such an examination

2 : separation of a whole into its component parts

3a : the identification or separation of ingredients of a substance a chemical analysis of the soil

b : a statement of the constituents of a mixture

4 mathematics

a : 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

5 : psychoanalysis a patient who is in/undergoing analysis

6a : 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing analysis Learn More About analysis

Examples 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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The cost of graphics processing units (GPUs), which are needed for gaming PCs, for crypto-currency computations, and to run artificial intelligence computations, has fallen roughly 17 percent over the past month, according to one analysis. — Wired, 26 July 2022 Sunak and Truss face off on a TV debate on the BBC on June 25, presented by Sophie Raworth, with analysis from BBC political editor Chris Mason and BBC economics editor Faisal Islam. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 July 2022 To take this back to the quality analysis, due to a much lower risk of reversibility, the credits produced from mineralization are of higher value than those from the injection method. — Erik Millar, Forbes, 25 July 2022 Latino, Caruso got 34% of the vote in the primary, and Bass 27%, according to the Times analysis. — Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2022 But software development job postings have declined more than 12 percent in the past four weeks alone, according to analysis from Indeed economist AnnElizabeth Konkel. — Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 23 July 2022 But software development job postings have declined more than 12% in the past four weeks alone, according to analysis from Indeed economist AnnElizabeth Konkel. — Rachel Lerman And Gerrit De Vynck, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2022 Total employment is down about 2.4%, or about 69,500 jobs from December 2019, according to the analysis from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 22 July 2022 That's even greater than Los Angeles' housing undersupply, which stood at 8.4% the same year, according to the analysis. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 July 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'analysis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for analysis

borrowed from Medieval Latin, borrowed from Greek análysis "loosing, releasing, breaking something down into its elements, solution of a problem," from analýein "to loosen, undo, dissolve, resolve into constituent elements," from ana- ana- + lýein "to loosen, undo" — more at lose