dissertation

noun

dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdi-sər-ˈtā-shən 

: an extended usually written treatment of a subject

specifically : one submitted for a doctorate

wrote her dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet

dissertational

ˌdi-sər-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of dissertation in a Sentence

He wrote his dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1991, a committee of scholars concluded that King had plagiarized passages in his dissertation for a doctoral degree while a student at Boston University. —John Blake, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026

Blaire Bosley used her experience with chronic kidney disease to jump-start her dissertation research. —Morayo Ogunbayo, AJC.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Her dissertation examined how the rise of fascism in France, Germany and Italy showed up in literature and music. —Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026

Then there’s the rapid advance of image models, and models that can write poetry, and fiction, and dissertations, and ads, and policy papers. —John Werner, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dissertation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

dissertation

noun

dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdis-ər-ˈtā-shən 

: a long usually written treatment of a subject