dissection

noun

dis·​sec·​tion dī-ˈsek-shən 

also

di-  ˈdī-ˌsek- 

1

: the act or process of dissecting : the state of being dissected

2

: an anatomical specimen prepared by dissecting

Synonyms

• analysis
• examination
• investigation

Examples of dissection in a Sentence

the book's dissection of the problem of obesity in this country

Recent Examples on the Web

Penny had a large dissection of his aorta that needed to be repaired immediately. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

The designs aim to mimic the mysterious effortlessness in Nabokov’s writing that, to me, feels absolutely right yet defies analysis and dissection. —Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 July 2025

McLeary found that Jeff’s mother, Letitia, died not long after her son; records list her place of burial as Jefferson Medical College, which means that her body may have been used to teach dissection. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

Om Malik, a longtime Zuckerberg watcher who founded the now-defunct tech media company GigaOm, published an intriguing dissection of Meta’s manifestos as a way to understand the key to its success: corporate shape-shifting. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dissection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction

Kids Definition

dissection

noun

dis·​sec·​tion -ˈsek-shən 

-ˌsek-

1

: the act or process of dissecting : the state of being dissected

2

: a plant or animal or a part of one that has been dissected for study of the anatomy

Medical Definition

dissection

noun

dis·​sec·​tion dis-ˈek-shən; dī-ˈsek-  ˈdī-ˌ 

1

: the act or process of dissecting or separating: as

a

: the surgical removal along natural lines of cleavage of tissues which are or might become diseased

b

: the digital separation of tissues (as in heart-valve operations) compare finger fracture

c

: a pathological splitting or separation of tissue see aortic dissection

2

a

: something (as a part or the whole of an animal) that has been dissected

b

: an anatomical specimen prepared in this way