as in to analyze
to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships if you anatomize the problem, you'll see it stems from a combination of her bad behavior and your unwillingness to speak to her about it

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of anatomize The critic will anatomize the subject from several angles. WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023 Her article deftly anatomizes Russia’s failures, but also goes into alarming depth about how the military leadership can call on hundreds of thousands of recruits, and better exploit the resources of a vast country to inflict greater pain on Ukraine. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2023 All of these exhibitions leave one feeling slightly guilty: The curators try to anatomize how power works, the strategies of mythmaking and image management, but the material on view is so seductive one forgets the larger intellectual construct. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2022 The film joins countless other creative efforts to understand and anatomize the movie star born Norma Jeane Mortensen, including biopics, TV series, biographies, photo books, essays, and even plays. Nathan Smith, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2022 In The Rings of Saturn, W. G. Sebald anatomizes this depiction of a celebrated anatomy lesson, observing the improbably formal clothing of the men surrounding the prone cadaver, who wear opulent lace ruffs, while Tulp himself sports a wide-brimmed and high-crowned hat. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022 And some of it was a compulsive need to re-define and re-anatomize what Carmichael and Hamilton had already defined and anatomized so well. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2021 Kundera, meanwhile, made his career on novels that anatomized kitsch and subsequently became kitsch, thanks to a generation of earnest high schoolers. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 9 Oct. 2019 This is just one of many intergenerational failings that Kafka anatomizes. Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 18 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anatomize
Verb
  • Impact Social analyzed social media discussion about each candidate in the race, which revealed that Spanberger has a net sentiment of -28, while Earle-Sears’ sentiment is +18.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • At Free Float Analytics, an independent research firm that studies boards and executive leaders, analysts Matt Moscardi and Damion Rallis have also analyzed women in the C-suite and on the boards of the many companies going public this year.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Burt dissects every era and ties the albums to work by literary greats.
    Bryan West, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Tua Tagovailoa’s costly turnovers, issues on the offensive and defensive lines, the lack of turnovers, and pressure placed on quarterbacks and everything else that’s wrong with the team general manager Chris Grier built, and Mike McDaniel coaches has been dissected to death.
    Omar Kelly October 2, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The New Content Economy, examining the evolving landscape of creators, media, and emerging technologies.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Skordeles said some private sources economists examine include freight data from ports and railroads, industry group data from organizations like the National Association of Realtors, and earnings reports from public companies.
    Rachel Barber, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025

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“Anatomize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anatomize. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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