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 of dissection

• 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

What follows this admission is a piercing dissection not of the art itself, but of frameworks of looking at Black art and life that go beyond racist tropes disguised as appeals to the primitive, the spontaneous, the corporeal. —Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026

My father founded private hospitals south of Johannesburg, and my mother lectured anatomy, presiding over dissections and preparing meat dishes at home with the same attentive care — removing sinew and fat with a dedicated set of kitchen scalpels. —Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026

The book’s clear-eyed dissections of the atmosphere of overwork, anxiety, and panic allow Coulter to question at what point ambition tips over into masochism. —Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026

Adam McKay’s toxically smug dissection of Dick Cheney fails to take the full measure of this monstrous vice-president, but even so, Bale taps into something elemental about the man’s arrogance and domineering personality. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026

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