analyze

especially British, an·a·lyse

[an-l-ahyz]

verb (used with object)

analyzed, analyzing 

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 Word Forms

• analyzable adjective
• analyzability noun
• analyzation noun
• misanalyze verb (used with object)
• nonanalyzable adjective
• nonanalyzed adjective
• overanalyze verb
• reanalyzable adjective
• reanalyze verb (used with object)
• unanalyzable adjective
• unanalyzably adverb
• unanalyzed adjective
• unanalyzing adjective
• well-analyzed 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

Maro analyzed 21 different fruit species eaten by chimps at two long-term research sites, Ngogo in Uganda and Taï in Ivory Coast.

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A team from Cambridge's MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit analyzed MRI diffusion scans from 3,802 individuals ranging from newborns to 90 years old.

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More than a third of the cases The Times analyzed ended in dismissals or acquittals, in some instances because the defendants were deported.

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After analyzing the model, the team identified 30 distinct quarrying areas, each showing unique carving approaches.

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To examine how acidity has evolved over time, the researchers analyzed historic coral samples and measured boron isotope signatures preserved in their skeletons.

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Related Words

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