dissecting
Separating into pieces
Dissecting is the act of cutting apart something—typically a dead organism—to examine its internal structure.
Biology students dissect frogs; medical students dissect cadavers.
The word extends to any methodical analysis: dissecting an argument, dissecting a poem, dissecting the causes of the financial crisis.
Both literal and figurative uses share the sense of taking something apart to understand how it works.
Precise surgical knife
- specimenIndividual for examination
- cadaverBody for dissection
- anatomyStudy of organism structure
- tissueDisposable soft paper
autopsy · incision · forceps · pins · tray · frog · formaldehyde · biology
Precise surgical knife
- incisionControlled cut into tissue
- surgeonPhysician who operates
- sterileFree from microorganisms
- operationProcess of working
resection · forceps · sutures · hemostat · anesthesia · theater · gown · gloves
Inspect with close attention
- evaluateDetermine value or quality
- examineStudy with attention
- deconstructAnalyze by breaking down
- parseExamine syntax closely
interpret · investigate · critique · breakdown · unpack · probe · analyze · inspect
Exactly correct, no error
- detailedFull of specifics
- carefulExercising caution and attention
- methodicalOrganized and deliberate
- systematicFollowing ordered procedures
thorough · painstaking · rigorous · exacting · fine · deliberate · minute · surgical
scalpel
Precise surgical knife
tissue · autopsy · incision · forceps · pins · tray · frog · formaldehyde · biology · lab
scalpel
Precise surgical knife
operation · resection · forceps · sutures · hemostat · anesthesia · theater · gown · gloves · precise
scrutinize
Inspect with close attention
- evaluateDetermine value or quality
- examineStudy with attention
- deconstructAnalyze by breaking down
parse · interpret · investigate · critique · breakdown · unpack · probe · analyze · inspect · assess
precise
Exactly correct, no error
- detailedFull of specifics
- carefulExercising caution and attention
- methodicalOrganized and deliberate
systematic · thorough · painstaking · rigorous · exacting · fine · deliberate · minute · surgical · layer-by-layer
argument
Reasoned case or dispute
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- logicScience of valid reasoning
- assumptionsUnproven things taken as true
flaws · critique · debunk · expose · unravel · reasoning · motives · ideology · narrative · policy
- breaking downsplitting, fragmenting, dividing, breaking up, partitioning
- Lab Activitiestitration, chromatography, pipetting, centrifugation, DNA extraction
- distributingdistributing, dispensing, allocating, apportioning, doling out
- explainingexplaining, clarifying, elaborating, elucidating, expounding
- precision actionsaiming, threading, stitching, suturing, calibrating
- disassemblydismantling, teardown, detaching, unfastening, taking apart
dissectingassembling
Fitting parts together
joining · connecting · combining · uniting · fusing
dissectingsynthesizing
Combining elements into unity
integrating · unifying · consolidating · combining · amalgamating
dissectingglossing over
Superficially covering faults
skimming · summarizing · overlooking · generalizing · surveying
- frog dissectionClassroom amphibian surgery
- dissection table
- dissecting table
- dissection labSpace for examining organisms
- dissection kitInstruments for anatomical examination
- dissecting microscopeLow-magnification binocular viewer