treatise
Americannoun
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
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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This Week in Words: April 13–19, 2019
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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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.
Her final chapter, on how to thrive amid uncertainty, is sensible enough, but is more of a short treatise on the good life than an analysis of the appropriate role of prediction.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
It is hard to believe that it’s been a full decade since Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s last feature film, 2016’s “The Neon Demon,” a disorienting treatise on fame and Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026
The book jacket features a prominent blurb from Johnson calling the doctor’s treatise: “A gripping tale of corruption and courage that will open eyes and prompt serious questions.”
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2025
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
As John Aubrey put it more than a century later, Recorde ‘was the first that wrote a good arithmetical treatise in English’ and ‘the first that ever wrote of astronomie in the English tongue’.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
