multimodal
Americanadjective
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having more than one mode.
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Statistics. having more than one modal value.
a multimodal distribution.
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Transportation. intermodal.
Usage
What does multimodal mean? Multimodal means having or using a variety of modes or methods to do something. Multimodal is a general term that can be used in many different contexts. It also has more specific uses in the fields of statistics and transportation. Example: Ms. Johnson used a multimodal approach to teaching English—she relied on slideshows, movies, and student performances to supplement the textbook.
Etymology
Origin of multimodal
Explanation
When you use several different methods to do something, it's multimodal. A multimodal presentation might involve giving a speech while referring to a poster that's illustrated with pictures of your main points. Anything that makes use of more than one technique can be described as multimodal, like your favorite graphic novel, which includes both written text and illustrations. This term shows up a lot in statistics, too, for statistical distributions with several peaks, or "modes." Multimodal comes from the Latin roots multus, "many," and modus, "manner or mode."
Vocabulary lists containing multimodal
Lessons 3–4
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Unit 10, Week 2
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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.
To test this, the team created a multimodal artificial network in which spatial and distributed systems competed for "real estate."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Google is working to establish search as the entry point to its AI features, and users can now interact with multimodal inputs and AI-powered suggestions to refine their queries.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
Stephen Wu, founder of the Carthage Capital fund, told AFP that V4 -- said to be multimodal, meaning it can generate text, pictures and video -- could again shock US tech valuations.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
Developers must decide which algorithm is best suited for a specific task, and that choice is often complicated and time consuming in the fast growing field of multimodal AI.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 3, 2026
MiniMax has “scalable” multimodal models focused on global markets, and it is likely to achieve profitability in 2030, thanks to its highly cost-efficient model, Jefferies analysts said in a commentary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
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.
