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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Before 1970—and in some university history departments long after 1970—dissertation proposals about black women’s lives and concerns were often rejected as unworthy of scholarly study. A'lelia Bundles june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025 His dissertation for his Harvard University economics PhD – appropriately for the current moment – was about how South Korea’s economy could weather external shocks. Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025 Her dissertation was on value theory, an ethical discourse on the theoretical questions of goodness and value that can be traced back to the Greeks. Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 The boy’s mother wants to hide the child from the public and the wolfish press; meanwhile, her husband, a professor of religious studies, accepts the public’s curiosity, and even steers his floundering Ph.D. advisee toward writing a dissertation on the meaning of his son’s radiance. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 June 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 5 Jul. 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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