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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Recent Examples of anatomize
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
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
The critic will anatomize the subject from several angles.
—WIRED, 23 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
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
Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
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
The critic will anatomize the subject from several angles.
—WIRED, 23 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
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
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By continuously observing and analyzing these data, these systems generate personalized interventions designed to help users manage times of mental strain.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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The Phillies, like most teams, have high-speed cameras that can help a pitcher analyze finger placement.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Melly dissected the song in a 2018 video with Genius, a media outlet that posts song lyrics and frequently interviews artists about the meaning of their music.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2025
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There’s purpose in that focus, but there’s also vulnerability in choosing to show up pregnant, powerful and unapologetically herself, knowing the world will try to dissect it.—
Sughnen Yongo,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Verb
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The study also examined the likelihood of atypical handedness in clinical populations, or groups of people diagnosed with a specific set of health conditions compared to a control population.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2025
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Meanwhile, Pluto stationed retrograde on the same day, shaking things up in your immediate environment, forcing you to examine your communication style and perspective, as you could be stuck in old patterns of thinking.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anatomize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anatomize. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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