dissertation

noun

dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdi-sər-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce dissertation (audio)
: an extended usually written treatment of a subject
specifically : one submitted for a doctorate
wrote her dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet
dissertational adjective

Examples of dissertation in a Sentence

He wrote his dissertation on an obscure 16th-century poet.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Harold even wrote a dissertation and then a novel on exceptional men punished by a mediocre society — beliefs deployed earnestly, yet interpreted by his (minimal) public as satire. Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025 Mañón, who went to culinary school and worked as a chef before becoming a mental-health counselor, is now writing his doctoral dissertation on cooking therapy. The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025 Baker returned to school in the depths of the Great Depression to earn a library science degree and began to hunt for a job in 1934, an effort hampered, Regina Sierra Carter writes in her dissertation on Baker, by her race, gender, marital status, and the economy. April White, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2025 Suddenly, Evans says, CNN cared about his master's degree from the University of London, as his dissertation was centered on Al Qaeda. David Folkenflik, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dissertation

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dissertation was in 1651

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Cite this Entry

“Dissertation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissertation. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

dissertation

noun
dis·​ser·​ta·​tion ˌdis-ər-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce dissertation (audio)
: a long usually written treatment of a subject

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