contextual analysis

USAGE SUMMARY

"contextual analysis" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used in the context of analyzing a certain situation or text. For example, "A contextual analysis of the poem revealed its true meaning."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

(10) Goodkind JR, et al. (2004) A contextual analysis of battered women's safety planning.

The Guardian

Against febrile backdrops such as Tahrir Square, Leyne's reports and contextual analysis, delivered in his trademark calm manner, encompassed all the best understated virtues of BBC journalism.

The Guardian

Ah ha, you say, this is just deep contextual analysis, with a sentiment engine tacked on the front end.

The Economist

"Some polls are better than others," said Frank M. Newport, editor in chief of The Gallup Poll, who said he worried that some sites did not provide enough contextual analysis.

The New York Times

Still, the Weekly's compact, portable format presented opportunities to give sharper contextual analysis of world events to readers who might otherwise feel overwhelmed by the tide of digital information.

The Guardian

The demand that we abandon rational thought, contextual analysis and critical appraisal of why this happened and what we can do to limit the chances that it will happen again, should not.

The Guardian

If anything, she is almost unduly modest - there might have been scope for slightly more on her stage achievements and slightly less contextual analysis of British colonial India at the time of the mutiny.

The Guardian - Books

Taking note of differences like these, some contributors to the volume propose a contextual analysis sensitive to cultural and political circumstances.

The New York Times

The striking lack of contextual analysis in all his books about presidents going back to Richard Nixon has angered some readers and critics, most famously Joan Didion, who in an appraisal of six Woodward volumes (from the 1980s and '90s) wrote, "These are books in which measurable cerebral activity is virtually absent".

The New York Times - Books

Contextual analysis is another important aspect in this methodology.

Heritage Science

First, the contextual analysis emphasizes the evidence of comprehensive patterns of 'corporate' accounting change.

Business Research

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use this phrase to distinguish your work from a simple data summary, as it implies a deeper look into the 'why' and 'how' behind the subject

Common error

Do not use "contextual analysis" when you only mean a survey of the content itself. Content analysis looks at what is inside a text or dataset, while "contextual analysis" looks at everything outside of it that influences its meaning

Linguistic Context

In English grammar, "contextual analysis" functions as a compound noun phrase. It is typically used as the subject of a sentence to introduce a method or as the object of a verb to describe an action taken by a researcher or journalist. According to Ludwig AI, it follows standard modification rules where the adjective 'contextual' restricts the noun 'analysis' to a specific type of investigative approach.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

45%

News & Media

35%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

15%

Encyclopedias

5%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "contextual analysis" is a robust and essential term for anyone writing in professional, academic, or journalistic spheres. As evidenced by Ludwig AI, the phrase is almost exclusively used in high-quality sources to denote a rigorous approach to understanding a subject by looking at its surrounding environment. Whether you are discussing international politics in The Guardian or a new technology in TechCrunch, using this term demonstrates a commitment to depth and complexity. It is a grammatically standard phrase that acts as a signifier for critical thinking and comprehensive research. When using it, ensure that the 'context' being analyzed is clearly defined to maximize your writing's impact and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

situational analysis

focuses more on a specific point in time or a particular set of circumstances

holistic assessment

implies a broader scope that looks at the whole system rather than just the surroundings

environmental scanning

often used in business to describe monitoring external factors that affect an organization

nuanced examination

emphasizes the subtle details within a specific context

interpretive study

suggests a focus on how meaning is derived from the context

circumstantial evaluation

specifically evaluates factors that are incidental to the main subject

background research

refers to the preliminary gathering of contextual facts

systemic evaluation

treats the context as a structured system with interacting parts

discourse analysis

specifically looks at the linguistic and social context of communication

frame of reference study

focuses on the perspective or criteria used to judge the context

FAQs

How to use "contextual analysis" in a sentence?

You can use it as a subject or object to describe a method, such as: "A "contextual analysis" of the policy change suggests it was driven by economic pressure".

What is the difference between "contextual analysis" and situational analysis?

While similar, "contextual analysis" is broader and often academic, whereas "situational analysis" typically refers to a strategic evaluation of a specific, immediate set of problems.

Can I say "analysis of context" instead?

Yes, "analysis of context" is grammatically correct, but "contextual analysis" is the more professional and common academic shorthand.

Is "contextual analysis" used in technology?

Yes, in tech it often refers to how algorithms or AI understand a user query by looking at the surrounding data rather than just keywords, a process sometimes called "semantic analysis".