Meaning & use
analytically
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
By breaking something into parts and examining each one with careful reasoning.
Grammar: Usually follows or precedes a verb: think analytically.
Patterns
- think analytically
- approach something analytically
She approaches every problem analytically before acting.
The students were taught to read poems analytically.
He analytically compared the two budgets line by line.
adverbnot comparableformal
In terms of analysis, or from an analytical point of view.
Grammar: Often placed at the start of a sentence as a comment.
Patterns
- analytically speaking
Analytically, the data points to a clear trend.
Analytically speaking, the two cases are similar.
The result is interesting analytically but less so practically.
Common combinations
- think analytically
- Good detectives think analytically.
- approach analytically
- Approach the question analytically, not emotionally.
- analytically minded
- She is analytically minded and loves puzzles.
- examine analytically
- They examined the results analytically.
- analytically rigorous
- The report was analytically rigorous.
Synonyms and how they differ
- logically
- Logically stresses following the rules of reasoning, while analytically stresses breaking a subject into parts.
- systematically
- Systematically stresses working step by step in an organized way, rather than examining the parts.
- rationally
- Rationally means with reason and not feeling, and does not imply taking things apart.
- critically
- Critically adds judgment of strengths and weaknesses, which analytically does not.
Opposites
Word family
- analysis noun
- careful study of the parts of something
- analyze verb
- to study something in detail
- analytical adjective
- using careful reasoning
- analyst noun
- a person who analyzes
Commonly confused: analytically or analytical? analytically or analogously?
analytically vs analytical
Analytical is the adjective and describes a person or method; analytically is the adverb and describes how something is done.
analytically vs analogously
Analogously means in a similar way by comparison, and has nothing to do with taking something apart.
Practice
The engineer solved the fault by studying each component ____ before making a decision.
Choose one answer.
An adverb is needed to describe how she studied, which is analytically. Analytical is an adjective, and analysis and analyst are nouns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “analytically”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.