analytic
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or proceeding by analysis (opposed to synthetic).
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skilled in or habitually using analysis.
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(of a language) characterized by a relatively frequent use of function words, auxiliary verbs, and changes in word order to express syntactic relations, rather than of inflected forms.
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Logic. (of a proposition) necessarily true because its denial involves a contradiction, as “All husbands are married.”
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Mathematics.
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(of a function of a complex variable) having a first derivative at all points of a given domain; holomorphic; regular.
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(of a curve) having parametric equations that represent analytic functions.
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(of a proof ) using analysis.
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adjective
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relating to analysis
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capable of or given to analysing
an analytic mind
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Also: isolating. linguistics denoting languages, such as Chinese, whose morphology is characterized by analysis Compare synthetic agglutinative polysynthetic
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logic
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Also: regular. holomorphic. maths (of a function of a complex variable) having a derivative at each point of its domain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of analytic
First recorded in 1580–90; from Medieval Latin analȳticus, from Greek analȳtikós, from analy- ( see analysis) + -tikos -tic
Explanation
If you have an analytic mind, you are good at using logic to figure things out. You don't let emotion sway you. Doctors are trained to think in this way, as are scientists and engineers. Analytic derives from analysis, which means a thorough and detailed dissection of an object or an idea. Being analytic means that you think things through carefully and thoroughly. It may be more fun to fly by the seat of your pants and make all your decisions based on your gut instinct, but in the end, being analytic is safer.
Vocabulary lists containing analytic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The challenge of bringing a new piece of writing to life on the stage appeals to both hemispheres of his brain, the analytic and the intuitive sides.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
At McKinsey, analytic problem solving is at the heart of what consultants do.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 8, 2025
It is difficult to determine the full impact of Skrmetti because it is so strangely constructed—a series of half-arguments and specious assumptions stitched together into one analytic trainwreck.
From Slate • Jun. 18, 2025
The analytic tools developed for the Nutrition Facts label helped create the basic information infrastructure for today's digital diet platforms.
From Salon • Jul. 16, 2024
After they get to college, it’s often too late for many of them who lack adequate backgrounds in algebra and analytic geometry.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
