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
• anatomizing
• anatomy
• assay
• breakdown
• deconstruction

Examples of dissection in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

At the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Scotland, a display about the 19th-century growth of the medical profession includes a small notebook purportedly bound in the skin of William Burke, part of a duo of notorious serial killers who sold their victims’ bodies for dissection. —Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024

This isn't the Reptile actress' first time speaking out about dissection. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

The price is high, but industry analysts note that Super Bowl advertisements get much more publicity, and far more social media dissection and discussion than standard ones. —Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024

Following here is a sampling of Wall Street forecasts, followed by a fine dissection of one method for estimating future stock returns. —William Baldwin, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024

Each new wrinkle required copious hours of unpacking, and every hypothetical warranted dissection. —Natalie Babcock, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023

Stefanie Smith, a 41-year-old mother of two teenagers from Danville, suffered a carotid artery dissection, Chris Volz said. —Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2024

In this damning dissection, Intercept journalists lay bare the decisions that led to the story’s publication in the first place, some of which one of the freelancers, Anat Schwartz, articulated in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 news. —Longreads, 8 Mar. 2024

The aortic dissection came seemingly out of nowhere. —Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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