MEANING
1. Examining or representing something at a detailed level, using small distinctions rather than broad categories.
2. Having a structure made of very small grains or particles.
Use it for
describing analysis with detailed distinctions; explaining why broad categories conceal variation; comparing levels of detail in evidence or classificationDistinguishes detailed resolution from broad categories without assuming that more detail guarantees better explanation. Academic functions: Research / Methodology.
Words that belong together
- fine-grained analysis
- fine-grained distinctions
- fine-grained data
On the page
Fine-grained analysis reveals variation that disappears in national averages.
The coding scheme permits fine-grained distinctions between forms of participation.
The report distinguishes fine-grained sediment from larger particles.
The physical sense of fine-grained concerns material structure, not the detail of the description.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- fine-grained
Usage notes
Adjective. Finer-grained and finest-grained are natural; fine grained is an unhyphenated variant in some positions. Register: formal. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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