analytical

analytical — adjective

1. describing a way of thinking or a person who thinks that involves carefully sepa

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a way of thinking or a person who thinks that involves carefully separating information into smaller pieces and seeing how those pieces connect, often using clear logical steps

Example

Minh wrote an analytical report on the company's sales figures for the past five years.

attributive use: 'analytical report'

Élise is very analytical; she always studies the data carefully before making any decision.

predicative use: 'is very analytical'

Common collocations
  • analytical mind
  • analytical approach
  • analytical skills
  • analytical thinking
  • analytical report
  • analytical framework
Synonyms
  • logical

    focuses on following rules of reasoning; narrower than analytical, which also includes breaking things down

  • systematic

    emphasises following a consistent method or plan; a systematic person may not necessarily analyse deeply

  • methodical

    stresses careful, step-by-step work; more about organisation than reasoning

  • rational

    based on reason rather than emotion; broader in scope and less tied to detailed examination

Antonyms
  • intuitive

    based on gut feeling rather than step-by-step reasoning

  • unsystematic

    lacking a clear method or structure

Grammar Patterns

analytical + noun

be + analytical

analytical about + noun

Usage Note

Can describe both a person's natural way of thinking (She is very analytical) and the nature of a method or text (an analytical report). Frequently paired with nouns such as mind, approach, skills, thinking, and report.

Common Mistakes

She has a critical mind' (when meaning she examines things in depth).
She has an analytical mind.
'critical' focuses on judging good or bad, while 'analytical' focuses on understanding the structure

2. describing a statement that must be accepted as true based on the logical connec

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a statement that must be accepted as true based on the logical connections between its own terms, requiring no real-world testing or observation

Example

In philosophy class, Mauricio learned that 'all bachelors are unmarried' is an analytical statement.

philosophy domain; collocation: 'analytical statement'

Faisal explained that analytical truths do not depend on observation of the physical world.

collocation: 'analytical truths'

Common collocations
  • analytical statement
  • analytical truth
  • analytical proposition
  • analytical philosophy
Synonyms
  • a priori

    Latin term for knowledge that comes from reason alone, not experience; overlaps with analytical but is more general

  • deductive

    reaching a conclusion by applying general rules; all deductive arguments involve reasoning, but not all are analytical in the strict sense

Antonyms
  • synthetic

    describes statements whose truth requires real-world evidence or observation

  • empirical

    based on actual experience or observation rather than logic alone

Grammar Patterns

analytical + noun (statement / truth / proposition)

Usage Note

Primarily used in formal philosophy and logic. Contrasts with synthetic, which describes statements whose truth depends on real-world evidence. Not used to describe people or methods — only statements, propositions, or truths.

Common Mistakes

That claim is analytical because we tested it in a laboratory.
That claim is analytical because its truth follows from the words themselves.
analytical statements do not require testing or observation

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe thoughtful approaches, but analytical is the only one that specifically focuses on breaking a subject into its component parts to understand how they fit together. Logical centres on correct reasoning — following rules so that one idea follows properly from another. Systematic emphasises using a consistent, orderly method or plan, which may or may not involve deep analysis. Methodical is about doing tasks step by step with great care, often quite slowly. Rational contrasts with emotional: a rational decision is based on reason rather than feelings, but it does not require the detailed examination that analytical suggests. For example, a logical argument may be simple and clear without being analytical, and a methodical worker may follow a checklist without analysing the underlying structure.

logical ↗systematic ↗methodicalrational ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

Ancient GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Analytical comes from the Greek word analytikos, meaning 'able to analyse or break up'. This in turn comes from analyein, which combines ana- ('up, back, throughout') and lyein ('to loosen or untie'). The idea is of loosening something apart to see what it is made of. The word entered English through Latin analyticus and French analytique, and first appeared in English in the early 1600s in discussions of logic and mathematics.