vivisection

American  

[viv-uh-sek-shuhn] / ˌvɪv əˈsɛk ʃən /

noun

1. the action of cutting into or dissecting a living body.

2. the practice of subjecting living animals to cutting operations, especially in order to advance physiological and pathological knowledge.

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vivisection British  

/ ˌvɪvɪˈsɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or practice of performing experiments on living animals, involving cutting into or dissecting the body

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vivisection Scientific  

/ vĭv′ĭ-sĕk′shən /

1. The practice of examining internal organs and tissues by cutting into or dissecting a living animal, especially for the purpose of scientific research.

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vivisection Cultural  

1. The cutting up or dissection of animals, including anesthetized live animals, in scientific research. Vivisection is also a general term for the use of animals as subjects in laboratory experiments, especially in the development of new medical techniques and drugs.

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Discover More

Vivisection, as well as the general use of animals in medical research, is a target of protest by animal rights advocates.

Other Word Forms

• vivisectional adjective
• vivisectionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of vivisection

First recorded in 1700–10; vivi- + section

Explanation

Vivisection means literally "to cut up something that's alive," and it's the term used for operating on live animals for scientific research. The word is usually used by people who oppose the practice. You can see how the word would be an inflammatory way of describing experimentation on animals, as the root vivi-, meaning "alive," makes the practice sound all the more gruesome. Surgery on a (living) person would not be called vivisection. You can also use the word vivisection metaphorically, as you might write a review of a rap concert and perform a ruthless vivisection of the artist's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Example Sentences

Dahl’s wit may be mostly used for emotional vivisection, but it still glitters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Peter Morgan’s popular vivisection of the British royal family, back for its fifth season on Netflix after a two-year wait, has consumed more than its share of pixels, including three feature articles in this newspaper.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2022

Only Charles’s second wife, Camilla, whom Brown depicts as horse-y and unflappable, escapes royal vivisection.

From Washington Post • Apr. 23, 2022

Bartz takes the idea of a “frenemy” to new heights in her third thriller, yet another expert vivisection of female modes of communication and competition.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2021

Men sneered at vivisection, and yet look at its results to-day!

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Related Words

• postmortem