analysis - Definition | Dictionary definition of analysis

Definition of analysis

Nouns

an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole

Types:: show 15 types...; hide 15 types...; anatomy
a detailed analysis; case study
a detailed analysis of a person or group from a social or psychological or medical point of view; chemical analysis, qualitative analysis
the act of decomposing a substance into its constituent elements; uranalysis, urinalysis
(medicine) the chemical analysis of urine (for medical diagnosis); scatology
(medicine) the chemical analysis of excrement (for medical diagnosis or for paleontological purposes); polarography
an electrochemical method of chemical analysis; quantitative analysis, quantitative chemical analysis
chemical analysis to determine the amounts of each element in the substance; spectrographic analysis, spectrometry, spectroscopic analysis, spectroscopy, spectrum analysis
the use of spectroscopes to analyze spectra; dialysis
separation of substances in solution by means of their unequal diffusion through semipermeable membranes; dating, geological dating
use of chemical analysis to estimate the age of geological specimens; thermogravimetry
the measurement of changes in weight as a function of changes in temperature used as a technique of chemically analyzing substances; cost analysis
breaking down the costs of some operation and reporting on each factor separately; dissection
detailed critical analysis or examination one part at a time (as of a literary work); fundamental analysis, fundamentals analysis
(stock exchange) the use of fundamentals as an investment strategy; technical analysis, technical analysis of stock trends
(stock exchange) analysis of past price changes in the hope of forecasting future price changes

Type of:: investigating, investigation
the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematically

the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations

Synonyms:: analytic thinking

Antonyms:: synthesis
the combination of ideas into a complex whole; synthetic thinking; show more antonyms...

Types:: show 8 types...; hide 8 types...; breakdown, partitioning
an analysis into mutually exclusive categories; resolution, resolving
analysis into clear-cut components; cost-benefit analysis
an analysis of the cost effectiveness of different alternatives in order to see whether the benefits outweigh the costs; dissection
a minute and critical analysis; elimination, reasoning by elimination
analysis of a problem into alternative possibilities followed by the systematic rejection of unacceptable alternatives; reductionism
the analysis of complex things into simpler constituents; systems analysis
analysis of all aspects of a project along with ways to collect information about the operation of its parts; trend analysis
analysis of changes over time

Type of:: abstract thought, logical thinking, reasoning
thinking that is coherent and logical

a form of literary criticism in which the structure of a piece of writing is analyzed

Type of:: criticism, literary criticism
a written evaluation of a work of literature

the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., `the father of the bride' instead of `the bride's father'

Type of:: expressive style, style
a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period

a branch of mathematics involving calculus and the theory of limits; sequences and series and integration and differentiation

Types:: Fourier analysis, harmonic analysis
analysis of a periodic function into a sum of simple sinusoidal components

Type of:: calculus, infinitesimal calculus
the branch of mathematics that is concerned with limits and with the differentiation and integration of functions

a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders; based on the theories of Sigmund Freud

"his physician recommended psychoanalysis"