analyze

[ an-l-ahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, an·a·lyzed, an·a·lyz·ing.

1. to separate (a material or abstract entity) into constituent parts or elements; determine the elements or essential features of ( synthesize ):

   to analyze an argument.

   Synonyms: break down.

   Antonyms: synthesize

2. to examine critically, so as to bring out the essential elements or give the essence of:

   to analyze a poem.

   Synonyms: explicate

3. to examine carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factors, possible results, etc.
4. to subject to mathematical, chemical, grammatical, etc., analysis.
5. to psychoanalyze:

   a patient who has been analyzed by two therapists.

6. psychoanalyze:

Other Words From

• an·a·lyz·a·ble adjective
• an·a·lyz·a·bil·i·ty [an-l-ahyz-, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• an·a·ly·za·tion [an-l-ahy-, zey, -sh, uh, n], noun
• mis·an·a·lyze verb (used with object) misanalyzed misanalyzing
• non·an·a·lyz·a·ble adjective
• non·an·a·lyzed adjective
• o·ver·an·a·lyze verb overanalyzed overanalyzing
• re·an·a·lyz·a·ble adjective
• re·an·a·lyze verb (used with object) reanalyzed reanalyzing
• un·an·a·lyz·a·ble adjective
• un·an·a·lyz·a·bly adverb
• un·an·a·lyzed adjective
• un·an·a·lyz·ing adjective
• well-an·a·lyzed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of analyze¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; back formation from analysis (or from its Latin or Greek sources), with -ys- taken as -ize

Example Sentences

Instead, after taking the time to analyze the causes of the meltdown and the errors made, she decided to embrace nuclear.

From Los Angeles Times

They want to analyze Trump like he’s a series of scandals or controversies to unpack on a whiteboard — something logical, manageable.

From Salon

Dr. Sasse may have been a skeptic, but the board that employed him was heavily focused on analyzing the company’s new method for scoring universities.

From New York Times

"The framework for analyzing this collective behavior resides in the fundamental pheromone concentration gradient, then working from there," Karamched said.

From Science Daily

This study is the first time that historical mark-recovery data from the Discovery Marking Program has been analyzed using modern quantitative methods.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• consider
• evaluate
• figure out
• inspect
• interpret
• investigate
• resolve
• scrutinize
• spell out
• study
• test