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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of case study

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Situated in the east end of Glasgow, the area was, at one point, a case study in how not to build new housing developments.

From BBC

A case study released alongside the global assessment identifies 20 migratory fish species in the Amazon that meet the criteria for potential CMS Appendix II listing.

From Science Daily

Three hours east of Guaca, along heavily potholed roads with no mobile signal and few basic amenities, the town of Güiria is a case study of the consequences of decades of neglect.

From BBC

But this isn’t a case study in the public’s diminished capacity for thinking in the digital age, or an example of the average moviegoer not wanting more for themselves or the films they watch.

From Salon

He also said China was an “interesting case study” as it gets so much of its oil through the strait.

From Barron's

Related Words

• medical history