dissection

noun dis·sec·tion \ dī-ˈsek-shən also di- , ˈdī-ˌ \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

Definition of dissection

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

2 : an anatomical specimen prepared by dissecting

See dissection defined for kids

Examples of dissection in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of dissection from the Web

The journalist Ken Auletta, in an unflinching 1978 dissection for Esquire, tried to puncture Cohn’s makeover, and was invited by 60 Minutes to be the contrarian in Safer’s sanitizing profile.

— frank rich, Daily Intelligencer, "The Original Donald Trump," 29 Apr. 2018
After months of dissection and debate, the Browns selected Mayfield, Oklahoma's cocky and charismatic quarterback with the No.

— tom withers, Houston Chronicle, "Top gun: Browns select QB Baker Mayfield No. 1 in NFL draft," 27 Apr. 2018
This play is a dissection, cold-eyed in its analysis, but pulsing with unspeakable vulnerability.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "'Birdland' at Steep: You're treated like a god, people throw themselves at you — what does it mean to be a rock star?," 6 Apr. 2018
That’s in part because of the lengthy technical preparation, which included dissections and mock surgeries on cadavers.

— rachel becker, The Verge, "In a world first, a US veteran now has a new penis and scrotum," 23 Apr. 2018
Levinson’s 105-minute film is a grim dissection of that two-week slice of time when an American hero fell.

— frank fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "HBO's film on Joe Paterno is a tragedy, not a documentary," 6 Apr. 2018
This technology shows the human body in various states of dissection, such as the skeleton pictured here.

— omar abdel-baqui, Detroit Free Press, "Henry Ford College is 1 of 5 schools in Michigan with virtual cadaver," 16 Feb. 2018
Driven by an undeniable chemistry between the two, Smith and Mewes held court with behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood and their signature razor-sharp dissections of pop culture.

— ryan patrick hooper, Detroit Free Press, "Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes return to Detroit for 2018 Freep Film Festival launch party," 7 Feb. 2018
After dissection, bodies are wheeled in under crisp sheets for disposal in Fisher’s alkaline hydrolysis machine, which turns them into liquid and pure white bone.

— hayley campbell, WIRED, "A New Way to Dispose of Corpses—With Chemistry!," 27 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of dissection

1578

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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dissection Synonyms

Synonyms

analysis, anatomizing, anatomy, assay, breakdown, deconstruction;

Near Antonyms

agglomeration, aggregation, amalgamation, assimilation, coalescence, conglomeration, consolidation, integration, synthesis, unification;

arrangement, assortment, cataloging (or cataloguing), categorization, classification, codification, indexing;

enumeration, inventory, itemization, tabulation;

division, reduction, segmentation, separation, subdivision;

DISSECTION Defined for Kids

dissection

noun dis·sec·tion \ di-ˈsek-shən \

Definition of dissection for Students

: the act of cutting something or taking something apart for examination

Medical Dictionary

dissection

noun dis·sec·tion \ dis-ˈek-shən; dī-ˈsek- , ˈdī-ˌ \

medical Definition of dissection

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

Learn More about dissection

See words that rhyme with dissection Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dissection Spanish Central: Translation of dissection Nglish: Translation of dissection for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dissection for Arabic speakers

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dissection

Definition of dissection

Examples of dissection in a Sentence

Recent Examples of dissection from the Web

First Known Use of dissection

dissection Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

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DISSECTION Defined for Kids

dissection

Definition of dissection for Students

Medical Dictionary

dissection

medical Definition of dissection

Learn More about dissection

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