analyze
verb
an·a·lyze ˈa-nə-ˌlīz 
analyzed; analyzing
transitive verb
1
: to study or determine the nature and relationship of the parts of (something) by analysis
2
: to subject to scientific or grammatical analysis
chemically analyze a specimen
analyze a sentence
3
: psychoanalyze
analyzability
ˌa-nə-ˌlī-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē
noun analyzable
ˈa-nə-ˌlī-zə-bəl
adjective analyzer
ˈa-nə-ˌlī-zər
noun 
Synonyms
- anatomize
- assay
- break down
- cut
- deconstruct
- dissect
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
While Wroe offers some basic biographical information and quotes copiously from Shelley's writings, she does not tell a chronological story or analyze individual poems. 
Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2007 They are not doing the math. Doing the math would mean demonstrating that the voters' intuitive judgments are roughly what they would get if they analyzed the likely effects of candidates' policies, and this is a difficult calculation to perform. Louis Menand, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2004 Ms. Magazine's online daily weblog, written by Christine Cupaiuolo, analyzes the representation of women in media and popular culture. Here are excerpts from recent postings. Ms., Fall 2003 The data was recorded and analyzed by computer. We took the sample to be chemically analyzed by a lab. Researchers are busy analyzing the results of the study. The bacteria were analyzed under a powerful microscope. See More
Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2007 They are not doing the math. Doing the math would mean demonstrating that the voters' intuitive judgments are roughly what they would get if they analyzed the likely effects of candidates' policies, and this is a difficult calculation to perform. Louis Menand, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2004 Ms. Magazine's online daily weblog, written by Christine Cupaiuolo, analyzes the representation of women in media and popular culture. Here are excerpts from recent postings. Ms., Fall 2003 The data was recorded and analyzed by computer. We took the sample to be chemically analyzed by a lab. Researchers are busy analyzing the results of the study. The bacteria were analyzed under a powerful microscope. See More Recent Examples on the Web All the major independent sites that analyze congressional races see Cherfilus-McCormick and Moskowitz as winners in November elections for House of Representatives. Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2022 The addendum, which was certified by council members in July, did not analyze the impact of taller buildings on other environmental factors, such as traffic, noise and air quality. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 Bankrate did not analyze checking account fees at credit unions. Megan Leonhardt, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2022 The team of researchers uses multiple techniques to detect the particle size and molecular composition of tattoo pigments, using highly specialized machines that can analyze the inks at a molecular level. Dr. Alexandria C Wellman, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2022 For the next phase in data analytics, some schools are exploring or implementing advanced machine-learning applications that can analyze 150 or more attributes of their student body going back years into historical data. Beth Decarbo, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 In response, many companies have developed AI systems that analyze sentiment and send alerts to customer care executives. Saravana Kumar, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022 Some of the best business opportunities in health care will involve developing technologies that analyze and address the factors that contribute to health disparities. Ken Frazier, STAT, 7 Aug. 2022 Over the past 15 years, the country’s largest police departments — such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — started thinking about ways of using artificial intelligence to not just analyze crime but predict it. Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 See More
Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2022 The addendum, which was certified by council members in July, did not analyze the impact of taller buildings on other environmental factors, such as traffic, noise and air quality. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 Bankrate did not analyze checking account fees at credit unions. Megan Leonhardt, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2022 The team of researchers uses multiple techniques to detect the particle size and molecular composition of tattoo pigments, using highly specialized machines that can analyze the inks at a molecular level. Dr. Alexandria C Wellman, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2022 For the next phase in data analytics, some schools are exploring or implementing advanced machine-learning applications that can analyze 150 or more attributes of their student body going back years into historical data. Beth Decarbo, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 In response, many companies have developed AI systems that analyze sentiment and send alerts to customer care executives. Saravana Kumar, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022 Some of the best business opportunities in health care will involve developing technologies that analyze and address the factors that contribute to health disparities. Ken Frazier, STAT, 7 Aug. 2022 Over the past 15 years, the country’s largest police departments — such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — started thinking about ways of using artificial intelligence to not just analyze crime but predict it. Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
probably by back-formation from analysis, with -is taken as a suffix, and -ys- identified with the verb-forming suffix -ize, spelled -yze/-ize/-yse/-ise in the 17th century
Note: Alternatively, the verb could arise by haplology from*analysise. Note that analysis comes into vernacular use only a couple decades before the verb. Compare analyst.
First Known Use
1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
analyze
verb
an·a·lyze ˈa-nə-ˌlīz
analyzed; analyzing
1
: to examine something to find out what it is or what makes it work
The bacteria were analyzed under a powerful microscope.
2
: to study carefully to understand the nature or meaning of
analyze a problem
Medical Definition
analyze
transitive verb
an·a·lyze
variants or British analyse
ˈan-ᵊl-ˌīz
analyzed or British analysed; analyzing or British analysing
1
: to study or determine the nature and relationship of the parts of by analysis
especially : to examine by chemical analysis
2
: psychoanalyze
analyze
verb
as in to dissect
to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships analyze the park's ecosystem before deciding whether hunting should be allowed Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dissect
- examine
- assess
- investigate
- evaluate
- diagnose
- deconstruct
- anatomize
- divide
- scrutinize
- inspect
- assay
- classify
- cut
- categorize
- tabulate
- codify
- break down
- order
- arrange
- sort
- enumerate
- reduce
- index
- catalog
- schematize
- subdivide
- diagram
- separate
- segment
- assort
- catalogue
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- integrate
- synthesize
- consolidate
- aggregate
- assimilate
- unify
- coalesce
- conglomerate
- amalgamate
- agglomerate
Synonym Chooser
The words break down and dissect are common synonyms of analyze. While all three words mean "to divide a complex whole into its parts or elements," analyze suggests separating or distinguishing the component parts of something (such as a substance, a process, a situation) so as to discover its true nature or inner relationships.
analyzed the collected data
The meanings of break down and analyze largely overlap; however, break down implies a reducing to simpler parts or divisions.
break down the budget
In some situations, the words dissect and analyze are roughly equivalent. However, dissect suggests a searching analysis by laying bare parts or pieces for individual scrutiny.
commentators dissected every word of the speech