analysis

noun

anal·y·sis | \ ə-ˈna-lə-səs

plural analyses\ -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

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web

What the theories have in common is a focus on the analysis of human existence and the idea of human choice. — Anne T. Donahue, Marie Claire, "How Accurate Is The Good Place's Philosophy?," 31 Jan. 2019 Initially, none of the women included in the analysis had a diagnosis of breast cancer. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Here's What You Need to Know About the Study That Says Giving Birth Increases Your Breast Cancer Risk," 21 Dec. 2018 Researchers have not done further analysis to determine if the child had died of malaria, but evidence of an abscessed tooth, a side effect of the disease, suggested that was the case. — Kristine Phillips, The Seattle Times, "Archaeologists find ‘vampire burial’ site of a child feared capable of rising from the dead," 26 Oct. 2018 One team of scientists tried to do a similar analysis for Florence, but outside experts were wary because it was based on forecasts, not observations, and did not use enough computer simulations. — Seth Borenstein, Fox News, "Scientists: World's warming; expect more intense hurricanes," 15 Sep. 2018 The analysis looked at overnight temperatures, hours of sunlight and the probability of high humidity in all 50 states for the past 36 years. — Weldon B. Johnson, azcentral, "Sleepless in Arizona? It's that time of year," 13 July 2018 Smaller cities had recently been the most dynamic markets in the country, making up nearly two-thirds of national property sales last year, compared with one-half in 2016, according to an analysis by S&P Global Ratings. — Dominique Fong, WSJ, "China’s Property Market, Once a Lifeline, Now Carries Economic Risks," 16 Feb. 2019 Over eight weeks, the 350th Special Warfare Training Squadron in Lackland will use big data, video analysis, wearable sensors, and extreme exercise to teach air-men how to optimize their bodies like machines. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force Is Changing How Special Ops Fighters Are Trained," 12 Feb. 2019 An overwhelming proportion of the judges who have ascended to the federal bench this year are men, with women making up just 24 percent of those who were confirmed, according to an analysis by the Alliance For Justice. — Li Zhou, Vox, "Trump has gotten 66 judges confirmed this year. In his second year, Obama had gotten 49.," 27 Dec. 2018

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.