treatise
Americannoun
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treatises
plural
noun
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a formal work on a subject, esp one that deals systematically with its principles and conclusions
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an obsolete word for narrative
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of treatise
1300–50; Middle English tretis < Anglo-French tretiz, akin to Old French traitier to treat
Explanation
A treatise is a formal written paper about a specific subject. It’s like an essay but longer. A treatise is usually about a serious subject, so you might read a treatise on democracy, but you probably won't read a treatise about chewing gum. The word treatise is related to the verb treat, in the sense of "deal with,” like the way a doctor treats a patient. Like a doctor, a treatise examines a subject from all angles. It has nothing to do with treats, unless you’re writing a treatise on desserts, which would be weird. More appropriate topics for a treatise include philosophy, religion, economics, and so forth. An example of a political treatise is The Prince by Machiavelli, which basically argues that “the ends justify the means.”
Vocabulary lists containing treatise
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Better to grab one of those syrupy $23 Deuces, a $44 visor, old pal Matt Futterman’s new tennis treatise and stake out the practice courts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“There is nothing so joyous as a Mexican fiesta, but there is also nothing so sorrowful,” Nobel laureate Octavio Paz infamously wrote in “The Labyrinth of Solitude,” his 1950 treatise on the Mexican condition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
He said the ancient Chinese military treatise had informed his longstanding feud with the federal government.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Johann Fischer's 1852 treatise on lizard neuroanatomy included part of the coil but omitted the remainder, and Fischer never described the curled structure.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2025
So when, in 1651, Pascal drafted an introduction to his unfinished treatise on the vacuum he started by distinguishing two sources of knowledge: reason and authority.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Researchers worked with Le Chat, a generative AI tool developed by the French start‑up Mistral, training it on Moliere's body of work, as well as dialogues and philosophical treatises.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
The older cases and treatises turned not simply on place of birth, but on protection, allegiance and the sovereign’s acceptance of the parents’ presence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Some scientists want stricter enforcement of existing space treatises or more regulation of space debris.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
Rather than mentioning those supposed practical considerations, treatises from the early Christian centuries draw from biblical inferences, contemporary understanding of time and calendrical math to argue for its case.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
Senator Trueba would say whenever he saw little Alba sitting on the balcony reading the medical treatises her Uncle Jaime lent her.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
