2 days ago · The meaning of ANALYSIS is a detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features : a thorough study.

Analysis (pl.: analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of …

ANALYSIS definition: 1. the act of studying or examining something in detail, in order to discover or understand more…. Learn more.

For analysis is the converse of synthesis. Synthesis is the road from the principles to those things that derive from the principles, and analysis is the return from the end to the principles.

ANALYSIS definition: the separating of any material or abstract entity into its constituent elements (opposed to synthesis). See examples of analysis used in a sentence.

An analysis is an explanation or description that results from considering something carefully.

The separation of a substance into its constituent elements to determine either their nature (qualitative analysis) or their proportions (quantitative analysis).

the ascertainment of the kind or amount of one or more of the constituents of materials, whether obtained in separate form or not. Cf. qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis.

There are 16 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun analysis, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Reviewed by William Newton, Research Scientist, Colorado State University on 1/7/16. This free online textbook (e-book in webspeak) is a one semester course in basic analysis.