meta-analysis

noun

meta-anal·​y·​sis ˌme-tə-ə-ˈna-lə-səs 

: a quantitative statistical analysis of several separate but similar experiments or studies in order to test the pooled data for statistical significance

Examples of meta-analysis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Roughly 25 to 35 percent of the weight that GLP-1 patients lose is lean mass, according to a meta-analysis published in March. — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026

Advertisement In women, a 2025 meta-analysis of 21 studies found that doing pelvic floor exercises can relieve vaginal discomfort, improve urinary incontinence, and even improve overall quality of life in postmenopausal women. — Stacey Colino, Time, 9 June 2026

Researchers used meta-analyses and data modeling to estimate alcohol-specific risks for various diseases and injuries, and then compared those hazards to risks in people who never drank. — Isabella Cueto, STAT, 9 June 2026

Cork recently led a meta-analysis of 30 studies investigating the effects of GLP-1s on Alzheimer’s pathology—namely the buildup of beta-amyloid and p-tau—to determine just that. — Jenna Anderson, Health, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for meta-analysis

• haemodialysis
• hemodialysis
• microanalysis
• psychoanalysis
• analysis
• dialysis
• paralysis
• cryptanalysis
• urinalysis
• electrodialysis

Medical Definition

meta-analysis

noun

meta-anal·​y·​sis ˌmet-ə-ə-ˈnal-ə-səs 

: quantitative statistical analysis that is applied to separate but similar experiments of different and usually independent researchers and that involves pooling the data and using the pooled data to test the effectiveness of the results

the report … on low cholesterol presented a comprehensive meta-analysis of 32 randomized studies involving 42,000 individuals

—Scientific American Medicine Bulletin