disquisition

noun dis·qui·si·tion \ ˌdis-kwə-ˈzi-shən \

Updated on: 21 Mar 2018

: a formal inquiry into or discussion of a subject : discourse

See disquisition defined for English-language learners

Examples of disquisition in a Sentence

a lengthy disquisition on foreign policy
Adam Smith's celebrated disquisition on the factors contributing to the wealth of nations.

Recent Examples of disquisition from the Web

Seven chapters and an interlude are arranged thematically, from an account of Fridtjof Nansen’s 1895 farthest-north record in the Arctic to a speculative disquisition on the future of adventure.

— sara wheeler, WSJ, "‘Limits of the Known’ Review: What Is Left to Be Conquered," 2 Mar. 2018
Obama's bare arms were in keeping with contemporary fashion, but their particularly lean musculature also served as a silent disquisition on the subject of physical fitness, one of her early East Wing initiatives.

— robin givhan | the washington post, Houston Chronicle, "For Melania Trump, 2017 was the year of the sleeve," 3 Jan. 2018
There followed an inane and rambling disquisition on how Russia installed Trump as president.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Weirder than the aliens: Trump's America in 2017," 21 Dec. 2017
There is also his disquisition on making out with, then negging, Scarlett Johansson one night at erstwhile New York hotspot Bungalow 8.

— jack dickey, SI.com, "Sean Avery Falls Short of Fearless Truth-Teller Reputation in 'Ice Capades'," 24 Oct. 2017
Much of the book’s power lies in Nathan’s bitter retrospective disquisitions on the Swede.

— stephen holden, New York Times, "Review: ‘American Pastoral,’ Philip Roth’s Fiery 1960s at Low Heat," 20 Oct. 2016
Pre-existing conditions, risk pools and premium costs — not the more conventional Republican disquisitions in favor of the free market, personal responsibility and smaller government — dominate the debate today.

— jeremy w. peters, New York Times, "A Republican Principle Is Shed in the Fight on Health Care," 7 May 2017
At the close of a long disquisition on which ships need to be built when in order to meet current threats, prepare for future ones, and do it all within budgetary constraints, O’Brien brilliantly summed up the purpose of that complex task.

— orange county register editorial board, Orange County Register, "Robert O’Brien ideal candidate to lead U.S. Navy," 3 Mar. 2017

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