dissertation

noun

dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdi-sər-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce dissertation (audio)
: an extended usually written treatment of a subject
specifically : one submitted for a doctorate
wrote her dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet
dissertational adjective

Examples of dissertation in a Sentence

He wrote his dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Modern scholarship on its formative role in women’s lives, and vice versa, took an important turn in 1980, when two young historians published landmark books on the subject—second books, because each had been told that a dissertation on a topic quite so pots-and-pans wouldn’t do. Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025 There’s Miles, a scholar of Russian folktales who can’t focus on his dissertation; his wife Kate, an English professor grappling with an illness; their two children, Olive and Wesley; and their dog Giuseppe. Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025 While Houston’s mention was more of an epilogue than a dissertation on the state of the room, the preseason star is firmly part of the pass rush story through five weeks. Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2025 Weeping delights in the exalted, the sublime, the magnificent — a symphony, a vista, megafauna, even a brilliant dissertation. Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dissertation

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dissertation was in 1651

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Cite this Entry

“Dissertation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissertation. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

dissertation

noun
dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdis-ər-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce dissertation (audio)
: a long usually written treatment of a subject

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