dissertation

American  

[dis-er-tey-shuhn] / ˌdɪs ərˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

dissertations plural

1. a written essay, treatise, or thesis, especially one written by a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

2. any formal discourse in speech or writing.

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dissertation British  

/ ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a written thesis, often based on original research, usually required for a higher degree

2. a formal discourse

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dissertationist
  noun
• dissertational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dissertations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dissertation

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dissertātiōn-, stem of dissertātiō, equivalent to dissert + -ation

Explanation

A dissertation is a long piece of writing that uses research to bring to light an original idea. Don't go to grad school unless you're prepared to write, say, a 300-page dissertation on some topic. In everyday speech, we sometimes accuse people of delivering dissertations when they overload us with dull information. If you're annoyed with a long memo from your office manager about keeping the kitchen clean, you could mutter to a coworker, “How’d you like that dissertation Felix posted about rinsing out our mugs?”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dissertation dissertations

Known as an innovative and enthusiastic coach, Barry also specialises in set-pieces and he wrote a dissertation as part of his Pro Licence for which he analysed 17,000 throw-ins.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

In 2024, Kobie Alexander Smith wrote his dissertation about this kind of fundraising by hospitals as part of his Degree of Doctor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

His 1977 dissertation warned about soaring house prices, a theme relevant to the 2008 financial crisis, which he later said he didn’t fully understand.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

In his doctoral dissertation, researcher Zhe Zhu explored how generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini are changing workplaces and influencing employees' experiences on the job.

From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026

The bio on his other two books—one based on his grad school dissertation and one short story collection—says, “He lives with his wife and two daughters in the Philadelphia suburbs.”

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Since its introduction, fifteen dissertations and final theses at Freie Universität have focused on the topic, along with seven additional dissertations completed by researchers in other countries.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

After studying neuroscience and writing two dissertations, she was off to Stanford for a law degree and math Ph.D.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

But then there’s the next layer — Cami as a curator, not just of aesthetics but of ideas, thought pieces and dissertations on everything you can think of.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

In fact, we first sketched out our plan to link cultural values and microbiology while writing our Ph.D. dissertations at our local deli in St. Louis, Missouri.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2024

All of this was important, the stuff of historians’ arguments and doctoral dissertations, but Dobyns was thinking of something else.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• essay
• monograph
• treatise