thesis

noun

the·sis ˈthē-səs

British especially for sense 3 ˈthe-sis

plural theses ˈthē-ˌsēz

: a dissertation embodying results of original research and especially substantiating a specific view

especially : one written by a candidate for an academic degree

: a proposition to be proved or one advanced without proof : hypothesis

: a position or proposition that a person (such as a candidate for scholastic honors) advances and offers to maintain by argument

a(1)

: the unstressed part of a poetic foot especially in accentual verse

(2)

: the longer part of a poetic foot especially in quantitative verse

: the accented part of a musical measure : downbeat compare arsis

: the first and least adequate stage of dialectic compare synthesis

Did you know?

In high school, college, or graduate school, students often have to write a thesis on a topic in their major field of study. In many fields, a final thesis is the biggest challenge involved in getting a master's degree, and the same is true for students studying for a Ph.D. (a Ph.D. thesis is often called a dissertation). But a thesis may also be an idea; so in the course of the paper the student may put forth several theses (notice the plural form) and attempt to prove them.

Example Sentences

She wrote her thesis on Renaissance Nativity scenes. a master's thesis on the effects of global warming New evidence supports his thesis. We disagreed with the basic thesis of the report. The book's central thesis is that propaganda influences the masses in important ways.

Recent Examples on the Web Proponents of the technofeudalism thesis came from both the left and the right. —

Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 31 Dec. 2022 That’s broad enough to impart only a vague sense of a thesis. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Dec. 2022 The core of her thesis is sound: Cleopatra’s reputation has suffered from tired misogynist readings that say more about their authors than their subject. —

Maxwell Carter, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2022 MacAskill’s book, but my friend was already bloodied from fighting a real-world manifestation of its thesis. —

Alexander Zaitchik, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2022 This new paper is the third data chapter of her doctoral thesis and provides novel insights into how orcas chased, captured, and killed white sharks. —

Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022 And, and, and … at its best, the New York Film Festival is both selective and abundant, marshaling a diverse array of movies in support of its central thesis. —

A.o. Scott, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2022 Like many such films, its foreground of action and background of character are thinned out to make the illustration of its thesis all the clearer. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2022 Carlson, whose weeknight program is typically the most popular on Fox News, has been an especially avid promoter of the thesis. —

Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 15 May 2022 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

in sense 3, Middle English, lowering of the voice, from Late Latin & Greek; Late Latin, from Greek, downbeat, more important part of a foot, literally, act of laying down; in other senses, Latin, from Greek, literally, act of laying down, from tithenai to put, lay down — more at do

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a(1)

Time Traveler

The first known use of thesis was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century