case study

American  

noun

1. a study of an individual unit, as a person, family, or social group, usually emphasizing developmental issues and relationships with the environment, especially in order to compare a larger group to the individual unit.

2. case history.

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case study British  

noun

1. the act or an instance of analysing one or more particular cases or case histories with a view to making generalizations

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Etymology

Origin of case study

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Instead, an ambitious pan-European project has become a case study into some of what has gone wrong with the region’s defense push.

From The Wall Street Journal

By every indication, Victor had grown up alone in the forests of southern France and presented a case study for Enlightenment thinkers about the human being’s capacity to learn past a certain age.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the fact that most people know those case studies, as well as instant punditry reinforcing the worst case via social media, has spawned multiple cases of shooting first and asking questions later.

From The Wall Street Journal

John Fingleton, who wrote the report, singled out Hinkley Point's elaborate fish protection measures as a case study of "overly cautious regulation".

From BBC

"If successful, it will serve as a premier case study for ageing societies worldwide."

From BBC

Related Words

• medical history